As our departmental Level 10 Meetings™ multiply across the company, we are finding that departmental issues are getting solved in silos, creating friction when a resolution in sales inadvertently breaks a process in operations. How do we create a clean escalation and communication channel between different departmental L10s to ensure alignment?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

As departmental Level 10 Meetings multiply, silos can naturally form, leading to situations where one department solves an issue in a way that breaks a process in another. To prevent this, you must build a clean, bidirectional communication channel.

First, implement a strict escalation protocol. If a departmental team identifies an issue during their weekly L10 that they cannot solve, or if the solution requires cross-departmental approval, the department head must escalate it. They do this by adding it to the leadership team's Short-Term Issues List.

Second, use the employee and customer headlines section of your leadership Level 10 Meeting to share critical updates that impact multiple departments. This ensures all leaders are on the same page.

Third, establish a top-down cascade. When the leadership team solves an issue that affects the wider organization, assign a To-Do to the relevant department heads to cascade that resolution down to their teams.

By maintaining this tight synchronization, you ensure that as your business scales, your operational pulse remains aligned across all levels. This prevents silos and ensures everyone is working toward the same goals.