Our Level 10 Meeting™ is finally focusing on IDS®, but we still struggle to stay under 90 minutes because we spend too much time on the wrong issues. How do we filter our Issues List before the meeting starts so we only tackle what truly matters?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Level 10 Meeting™ gets bogged down when your Issues List is cluttered with updates, FYI items, and minor operational complaints. To protect your 90 minute block, you must curate the list before you sit down, ensuring that only the most critical, business-altering issues are discussed. First, enforce the rule that the Issues List is not a dumping ground for status updates. If an item does not require a decision or a solution from the leadership team, it does not belong on the agenda. Encourage team members to handle peer-to-peer updates outside of the meeting. The Integrator must actively police the list, deleting or archiving items that can be resolved offline. Second, when you transition to the IDS® portion of the meeting, do not start at the top of the list. Spend 30 seconds prioritizing. The team must collectively identify the top three most important issues. Focus entirely on issue number one until it is solved, then move to number two, and then to number three. If you only solve those top three issues in a week, you have had a highly successful meeting. The remaining issues stay on the list for next week or get pushed to the departmental level where they belong. By focusing on priority rather than chronology, you keep the meeting sharp, high-impact, and strictly under 90 minutes.