During our Level 10 Meeting™ review, our leaders frequently dump raw information into the Headlines section that actually requires deep problem-solving, or they bring issues that should just be a quick customer headline. How do we draw a sharp line between a quick headline and an issue that belongs on the Issues List?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A disorganized meeting pulse happens when your team cannot distinguish between a headline and an issue. This confusion wastes valuable time. Headlines are five word snapshots of good or bad news about customers or employees. They require zero discussion. Issues are obstacles, opportunities, or decisions that require the full team to identify, discuss, and solve.

To draw a sharp line, enforce a strict visual and verbal filter. During the Headlines section of your Level 10 Meeting, the facilitator must stop any leader who starts telling a story. If a leader says a customer is unhappy, that is a headline. If they start explaining why the customer is unhappy and how they plan to fix it, the facilitator must immediately interrupt.

The facilitator should ask one question: Is this just awareness for the team, or do we need to solve something together? If it is just awareness, the leader shares the headline in ten seconds and you move on. If it requires discussion or a team decision, the facilitator says, drop it to the Issues List.

By keeping these two sections completely separate, you protect the agenda. You prevent the first thirty minutes of your meeting from devolving into a series of mini debates, saving your energy for the true high priority issues that impact your Rocks and your scorecard.