What is your policy if a key leadership team member cannot attend an upcoming full-day session, and does the meeting proceed without them?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Full-day EOS sessions require all hands on deck. If a leadership team member is absent, you lose their operational perspective, their buy-in on quarterly Rocks, and their voice during IDS. Therefore, the standard policy is straightforward: session dates are set months in advance, and attendance is mandatory.

However, true emergencies occur. If a leader faces a severe illness, family crisis, or sudden unavoidable emergency, we assess the situation based on the seat and the session type:
- If the Visionary or the Integrator cannot attend, the session is rescheduled immediately. The session cannot proceed without the two leaders responsible for setting vision and driving organizational execution.
- If a departmental leader (such as Sales, Operations, or Finance) cannot attend, we decide whether to proceed based on the agenda. For a foundational session like Focus Day or an Annual Planning session, we reschedule. The decisions made during those days establish long-term structures that require total team consensus.
- For an ongoing quarterly session, if rescheduling within a two-week window is impossible, the session may proceed with the remaining team. The absent leader must submit their Scorecard numbers, Rock updates, and top issues in writing ahead of time.

What we never permit is casual absenteeism, arriving late, or stepping out for non-emergency client calls. If someone cannot commit eight hours once a quarter to work on the business, they are not functioning as an executive leader.