We are five weeks into our quarter and an unexpected market shift has made one of our major leadership Rocks obsolete. Do we pivot and write a new Rock mid-quarter, or do we force ourselves to complete the original goal?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a major market shift makes a Rock truly obsolete, forcing your team to complete it is a waste of resources and a threat to team morale. However, you must be extremely careful not to confuse a difficult execution challenge with actual obsolescence.

Before you change anything, bring this issue to your next Level 10 Meeting and run IDS on it. Ask yourself if the goal is truly irrelevant to your one-year plan, or if the team is simply looking for an escape hatch because execution got tough.

If the leadership team agrees that continuing to pursue the Rock is counterproductive, you must officially kill it. Do not try to replace it with a brand-new Rock mid-quarter. Your team is already executing on their other priorities, and introducing a new major goal mid-stream will disrupt their focus and dilute their efforts.

Instead, absorb the remaining capacity back into your weekly operations or allocate it to supporting other critical Rocks that are currently struggling. Document the change on your Rocks sheet and move on.

Remember that your quarterly plan is a framework to drive focus, not a suicide pact. Make the adjustment, maintain your alignment, and use your next Quarterly Collaborative to reset your priorities.