Our leadership team is highly competent at handling day-to-day operational fires, but when it comes to executing our strategic quarterly Rocks, they consistently fall short. How do we install the discipline of execution into our weekly leadership culture?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your leadership team consistently misses quarterly Rocks while firefighting daily operations, they are trapped in the whirlwind of the business. This is a classic symptom of failing to separate the tactical from the strategic. To build a highly valuable company, your leaders must master the discipline of execution.

The fix starts with how you structure and review Rocks. First, ensure that every Rock is truly SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. If a Rock is vague, it will always get pushed aside for urgent daily tasks.

Second, use the Level 10 Meeting™ to keep Rocks on track. During the weekly meeting, do a quick review of all Rocks. Each leader must report their progress as either on track or off track. There is no room for stories, explanations, or excuses. If a Rock is off track, it immediately goes to the Issues List to be resolved using IDS®.

Third, force your leaders to use the delegate and elevate process. If they are too busy fighting fires to complete their strategic priorities, they are holding onto tasks that belong on a lower level of the Accountability Chart.

Hold your team accountable to the Do What You Say core value. If a leader repeatedly fails to hit their quarterly Rocks, it is a performance issue that must be addressed directly. Execution is not a nice-to-have; it is the core discipline of any leadership team preparing for an exit.