We have several minor issues that have been sitting on our weekly Level 10 Meeting™ Issues List for over a month because we never prioritize them, yet we refuse to delete them. How do we clean up this list clutter?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A bloated Issues List with aging items is a sign of decision avoidance. These lingering issues clutter your agenda, distract the leadership team, and drain the energy of the meeting.

You must implement a strict rule for your Issues List: if an item sits on the list for more than three weeks without being selected for IDS®, it must be removed. The facilitator should review the list weekly and flag these aging issues.

When an issue hits the three-week mark, the team has three choices. First, you can agree that it is not actually a leadership-level issue and delegate it down the Accountability Chart to a departmental team. Second, you can realize it is not urgent and archive it to your long-term issues list on the V/TO® to be addressed during your next quarterly session. Third, you can decide it is actually critical and prioritize it as number one, two, or three for immediate IDS® today.

Do not let issues sit in limbo. If an issue is not important enough to solve today or next week, it does not belong on your active weekly agenda. Clearing this clutter keeps your weekly meeting pulse sharp, focused, and focused only on what truly moves the needle.