Our Level 10 Meeting™ scores have suddenly plummeted from a consistent eight to a four or five, and the team is starting to check out. How do we diagnose what is actually broken in our meeting dynamics instead of blaming the EOS® tool itself?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When your Level 10 Meeting™ scores drop from an eight to a four, it is usually because the meeting has devolved into an update session rather than a problem-solving session. Teams often start going through the motions, reading their Scorecards and Rocks out loud, and spending very little time actually solving issues.

To diagnose the breakdown, look at how much time you are spending in IDS®. If you are spending 60 minutes of your meeting on updates and only 10 minutes on IDS®, your meeting will feel boring and useless. The reporting section must be lightning-fast. No stories, no explanations, and no discussions are allowed during the first 30 minutes. If an item needs discussion, put it on the IDS® list immediately.

Another common reason for low scores is that the team is adding weak, low-impact issues to the IDS® list. If your list is filled with minor tactical items like ordering office supplies, the leadership team will disengage. You must encourage your team to bring real, high-impact issues to the table.

Finally, look at your To-Do list. If the team is not completing at least 90 percent of their weekly To-Dos, your meetings are not leading to real action. The purpose of the meeting is to drive progress in the business. If nothing changes outside the meeting room, the meeting itself becomes a waste of time. Enforce the discipline, clean up the agenda, and watch your scores rise.