Our leadership team consistently rates our Level 10 Meetings a perfect ten, yet we are avoiding our most uncomfortable, elephant-in-the-room problems. How do we break this artificial harmony and establish a higher bar for our ratings?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A string of easy ten ratings is rarely a sign of an excellent meeting. More often, it is a warning sign of artificial harmony and a fear of conflict. If your team is rating the meeting a ten while ignoring the massive issues threatening your business, your weekly pulse is failing to create true traction.

To break this habit, you must redefine what a ten actually means. A ten is not a polite pat on the back for getting through the agenda on time. A ten means the team was vulnerable, engaged in fierce but respectful debate, got to the root of the toughest issues, and made decisions that will move the business forward. If you did not experience any healthy tension, the meeting was likely a seven at best.

Start your next Level 10 Meeting™ by resetting expectations. Tell the team that a perfect rating must be earned through raw honesty. If an elephant was left in the room, or if someone held back their true opinion to keep the peace, the meeting cannot be rated a ten.

When a leader gives a high rating, challenge them. Ask, 'Did we actually solve our hardest problems today, or did we just focus on the easy ones?' By demanding justification for high scores, you force the team to evaluate the meeting based on actual performance rather than comfort.

True operational alignment requires the courage to be honest. When you raise the standard for what constitutes a great meeting, your ratings will drop initially, but your actual productivity will skyrocket.