We successfully cascaded our Level 10 Meetings™ to our middle managers, but now they are complaining that they have no time to do their actual work because they are stuck in meetings all day. How do we fix this scheduling bottleneck?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When middle managers complain that Level 10 Meetings™ are taking up too much time, it is usually because they are running inefficient meetings or attending meetings they do not need to be in. The weekly Level 10 Meeting™ is designed to save time, not waste it. If run correctly, this ninety-minute meeting should eliminate the need for dozens of sporadic, disruptive emails, text messages, and status updates throughout the week. First, check the meeting discipline. Are your managers starting and ending on time? Are they spending too much time updating status instead of solving problems? The first fifty minutes of the meeting should be rapid-fire reporting. If your team is getting bogged down in discussion during the Scorecard, Rock review, or To-Do list, your leader must step in and move those items to the IDS® section immediately. Second, review the seats attending each meeting. Ensure you do not have people sitting in meetings just for the sake of inclusion. Every person in the room must have a direct connection to the Scorecard metrics and Rocks being discussed. Finally, encourage your managers to block out their calendars. If they know they have a dedicated, highly efficient ninety-minute block every week to resolve all departmental issues, they can eliminate the constant interruptions that actually ruin their productivity. Teach them to protect that time and run the meeting purely.