If we show up to a quarterly session and realize we missed the majority of our Rocks, how do we handle that shortfall without turning the day into a blame game?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Missing Rocks is a common occurrence, especially in the first few quarters of our engagement. When you show up to your session and we review your progress, we do not look for culprits to blame. Instead, we treat the miss as an operational issue that needs to be solved. We look at the data objectively.

Did we set too many Rocks? Were they poorly defined? Did we fail to predict the resources required to complete them? Or is there a deeper issue with a leadership team member not being in the right seat? We put these root causes straight onto our issues list and use IDS® to address them.

The goal is not to make people feel defensive. The goal is to learn from the failure so we can plan more accurately for the next ninety days. We measure our progress by our ability to learn and adjust. If we try to sweep a missed goal under the rug or make excuses, we lose the traction we need. By looking at the miss with clear eyes and taking collective responsibility, we strengthen our execution for the future.