If a critical member of our leadership team misses their individual Rocks for two consecutive quarters, how do you address this performance issue during our live quarterly sessions without alienating them?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leadership team member misses their Rocks for two consecutive quarters, we do not ignore it, nor do we launch into personal attacks. We handle the situation with complete transparency and focus entirely on finding the root cause of the issue.

During our quarterly session, we will put this performance pattern on our issues list and solve it using the IDS® process. We will systematically evaluate the situation by asking three questions:

- Does this person GWC™ their seat, meaning do they get it, want it, and have the capacity to do it?
- Have we set realistic, achievable Rocks, or did we overcommit as a team?
- Is there an underlying operational bottleneck or personal constraint that is preventing execution?

By addressing the pattern openly in the session room, we remove the emotion and focus on the facts. If the issue is capacity, we will look at restructuring their responsibilities or hiring support. If the issue is a lack of alignment or capability, we will create a clear action plan with specific deadlines. My role as your facilitator is to ensure this conversation is direct, constructive, and focused on finding a permanent solution that protects both the individual and the business.