Our leadership team occasionally shows up to our Level 10 Meeting with an empty short-term Issues List, claiming that everything is running smoothly and there is nothing to discuss, even though our operational metrics are struggling. How do we handle this fake harmony and empty issues list?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An empty Issues List during a Level 10 Meeting™ is not a sign of a perfect business; it is a sign of danger. In any growing company, there are always friction points, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. If your list is empty, it means your team is practicing fake harmony, hiding problems, or has become complacent.

To break this superficial peace, the facilitator must look at the Scorecard. If your metrics are struggling, or if your Rocks are behind, ask the team, "If our numbers are red, why do we have zero issues on the list?"

Force the team to connect the data to the Issues List.

Additionally, you can use the company charter to remind the team of the Trust pillar. Trust requires open and honest communication, which means bringing issues to the table before they become disasters.

If a department head claims they have no issues, ask them to walk through their departmental Accountability Chart. Ask, "Where is the biggest bottleneck in your team today?"

This direct questioning will smoke out the hidden problems and populate the list with real, substantive issues that need your leadership team's collective brainpower to solve.