During our quarterly planning sessions, we consistently struggle to limit ourselves to three to five corporate Rocks because every department head argues their priority is vital for survival. How do we make the hard trade-offs to protect our focus?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The discipline of choosing three to five Rocks is where most leadership teams fail. When everything is important, nothing is important. If you finish your quarterly session with ten or fifteen corporate Rocks, you have guaranteed that your team will be distracted and your progress will stall.

To make the hard trade-offs, you must run every proposed Rock through a strict filter.

First, look at your 1-Year Plan on the V/TO®. Ask your team, if we could only achieve one thing this quarter to stay on track for our annual goals, what would it be? That becomes your number one corporate Rock. Repeat this question for the next most critical priority.

Second, differentiate between corporate Rocks and departmental Rocks. Many of the vital priorities your department heads are fighting for do not belong on the company-wide list. They are departmental Rocks that can be owned and executed within their respective teams without distracting the rest of the leadership team.

Third, use your Accountability Chart to check capacity. A corporate Rock requires significant time and energy. If your head of operations is already accountable for three major weekly metrics that are red, they cannot own two corporate Rocks.

Finally, force a vote. If the team is still divided, the Integrator must make the final decision. Remember, saying no to a great idea right now does not mean saying no forever. It simply means saying not this quarter. Protecting your focus is the only way to build true traction.