Our leaders are struggling to distinguish between a legitimate Customer or Employee Headline and a full-blown issue. We frequently spend time during headlines arguing about whether a piece of news is actually a problem, or worse, we let a massive client threat slide by as just a headline without capturing it. How do we build a razor-sharp filter to separate headlines from issues instantly?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The Customer and Employee Headlines section is for sharing brief updates to keep everyone in the loop, not for solving problems. A headline is an announcement of fact that requires zero action from the team. An issue is any obstacle, opportunity, or decision that needs to be addressed to keep the business moving forward.

When a leader shares a headline that triggers immediate questions, debates, or explanations, it is no longer a headline. It is an issue. The facilitator must step in immediately with a clear rule: "That sounds like an issue, let us drop it to the list."

To make this transition seamless, train your team to use a simple filter. When a leader shares a headline, ask yourself: Is this information we just need to know, or is it something we need to do something about? If it requires action, debate, or a decision, it must go straight to the Issues List.

For example, "Our top account manager is out on parental leave" is a headline. "Our top account manager is out on parental leave and we have no coverage plan for their accounts" is an issue.

By enforcing this boundary, you protect your five-minute headline section and ensure your IDS® time is spent on the actual problems. This discipline keeps your weekly pulse running at a high level and prevents your meeting from devolving into an unstructured status report.