How much total time should our leadership team expect to spend preparing data and reviewing pre-work in the weeks leading up to each quarterly session?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Preparation for a quarterly session should take no more than two to three hours per leader, provided you are running your weekly Level 10 Meetings with discipline. If your team is spending ten or fifteen hours scrambling to prepare reports the week before a session, your daily operations are disconnected from your operating system.

Prior to each quarterly session, each leader must complete three specific tasks. First, grade your individual Rocks as either done or not done, and ensure your departmental Scorecard numbers are fully updated. Second, review the company V/TO and come prepared with thoughtful input on whether our 1-Year Plan and 3-Year Picture remain accurate. Third, populate the company Issues List with the real strategic bottlenecks, operational landmines, and structural opportunities that require IDS in the room.

For the two-day annual planning session, preparation expands slightly. Leaders spend four to six hours reviewing their seat on the Accountability Chart, gathering feedback from direct reports, reviewing customer retention data, and conducting a candid self-assessment of their team against Core Values and GWC. You do not need to assemble polished presentations. The most valuable preparation is quiet, critical reflection so that every leader walks into the room ready to engage without defensiveness.