Our team members arrive at the Level 10 Meeting™ without having looked at the Issues List beforehand, meaning we waste valuable minutes just reading through the new issues to understand what they are. How do we enforce pre-meeting preparation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Showing up to a Level 10 Meeting without having reviewed the Issues List is a clear sign of disrespect for your team's time. When leaders walk into the room cold, you waste the first ten minutes of IDS just explaining what the issues are, which completely destroys the momentum of your weekly pulse.

You must establish a hard standard for pre-meeting preparation. Every team member must update their scorecard numbers, mark their Rocks as on-track or off-track, and review the current Issues List before the meeting starts.

Encourage your team to add their issues to the list throughout the week, complete with a brief, one-sentence description of what the issue is. This allows everyone to read the list in advance and start thinking about potential solutions before they sit down.

If a leader shows up unprepared, do not read the issues to them. Instead, hold them accountable to their seat on the Accountability Chart. If lack of preparation becomes a reoccurring trend, drop it to the Issues List as an organizational discipline issue. Your weekly ninety minutes is sacred. It is designed for high-level problem-solving, not for catching up on basic reading. Expect professional preparation from every member of your leadership team.