We occasionally show up to our weekly Level 10 Meeting with an empty Issues List, which leads us to end the meeting after twenty minutes or start fishing for things to talk about. How do we handle an empty Issues List without letting our weekly alignment rhythm slide into complacency?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An empty Issues List on your leadership team is rarely a sign of a perfect business. More often, it is a sign of lack of awareness or fear of conflict. In any growing company, there are always obstacles, opportunities, and inefficiencies that need to be addressed.

If you show up with an empty list, do not simply cancel the meeting or end early. Instead, use the time to dig deeper. The facilitator should actively mine for issues by reviewing your Scorecard, your quarterly Rocks, and your V/TO.

Look at any scorecard metric that is close to the warning line, even if it is technically on track. Ask if there are hidden bottlenecks or if the target needs to be raised.

Review your progress on quarterly Rocks. Ask if anyone is feeling behind or if there are roadblocks that might prevent completion.

You can also review your customer and employee feedback. Are there patterns of complaints or opportunities for efficiency gains that you have ignored?

If you run through these checks and truly have zero issues, you can end the meeting early as a reward for a highly aligned week. But do not make this a habit. A healthy leadership team always has something to improve, optimize, or prepare for.