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 is a structure and accountability problem, not a capability problem. They are prioritizing daily operational fires over the commitments they made to their peers. This behavior erodes trust and slows down your organizational velocity.

To get back to your ninety percent standard, you must change how To-Dos are viewed. They are not optional suggestions; they are firm commitments. If a department head is hitting their individual metrics but failing their To-Dos, they do not fully understand their seat on the Accountability Chart.

Use these steps to shift the dynamic during your next Level 10 Meeting™:
- Review the To-Do List first after the Scorecard and Rock review, and ask for a simple done or not done. No explanations are allowed during the review.
- If a To-Do is not done, immediately drop it to the Issues List.
- During IDS®, address the incomplete To-Do as a behavioral issue. Ask the accountable leader why they prioritized other tasks over their commitment to the leadership team.
- Remind the team of your Charter. Trust means doing what you said you were going to do when you said you would do it.

If a leader consistently drops To-Dos, they are sending a message 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 ninety percent standard, you reinforce the discipline required to run high-performing, AI-powered operations.