Our department heads are highly capable and hit their operational numbers, but they treat weekly Level 10 Meeting To-Dos as optional, secondary tasks, leaving our completion rate stuck at seventy percent. How do we make To-Dos non-negotiable?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When highly capable department heads consistently fail to complete their weekly To-Dos, it signals a structure and accountability problem, not a capability problem. They are inadvertently prioritizing daily operational issues over the commitments they made to their peers. This behavior erodes trust within the team and slows down your organizational velocity.

To restore your 90% completion standard, you must fundamentally change how To-Dos are perceived. They are not optional suggestions, but firm commitments. If a department head consistently hits their individual metrics but fails on their To-Dos, they may not fully grasp their role on the [Accountability Chart](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids).

Shifting the Dynamic in Level 10 Meetings

Use these steps to shift the dynamic during your next Level 10 Meeting™ and reinforce the importance of To-Do completion:

• Review To-Dos First: After the [Scorecard](/qa/how-to-review-scorecard-under-five-minutes) and Rock review, immediately move to the To-Do List.
• Ask for a simple "done" or "not done" for each item.
• No explanations are allowed during this review. This keeps the meeting moving and prevents excuses.
• Drop Incomplete To-Dos to the Issues List: If a To-Do is not done, immediately drop it to the Issues List. This ensures it will be addressed properly.
• Address as a Behavioral Issue: During the IDS® (Identify, Discuss, Solve) segment, address the incomplete To-Do as a behavioral issue.
• Ask the accountable leader directly why they prioritized other tasks over their commitment to the leadership team.
• This forces them to confront their choices in front of their peers.
• Reinforce the Team Charter: Remind the team of your Charter. True trust means doing what you said you were going to do, when you said you would do it.

If a leader consistently fails to complete To-Dos, they are subtly communicating that their time is more valuable than the team's collective progress. By bringing these incomplete tasks into the light and holding leaders accountable to the 90% standard, you reinforce the discipline required to run high-performing, [AI-powered operations](/qa/ai-assisted-sales-follow-up-process). This approach also ensures that the team understands the difference between [leading and lagging scorecard metrics](/qa/leading-vs-lagging-scorecard-metrics) by emphasizing timely action.

Related questions

• [We spend half of our Level 10 Meeting arguing over why numbers were missed instead of just reading the scorecard. How do we review our weekly scorecard in under five minutes?](/qa/how-to-review-scorecard-under-five-minutes)
• [When an issue is dropped to IDS, my leadership team immediately starts pointing fingers at other departments rather than taking ownership. How do we use the Accountability Chart to stop the blame game during meetings?](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids)
• [Should our Integrator facilitate Level 10 Meetings, or should we rotate the role?](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings)
• [Our leadership team is struggling to agree on what actually deserves a spot on our high level scorecard. How do we narrow down our massive list of metrics to just five to fifteen numbers?](/qa/how-to-choose-five-fifteen-scorecard-metrics)
• [How do we shift our focus from lagging results to weekly leading indicators?](/qa/leading-vs-lagging-scorecard-metrics)