We have several issues on our Level 10 Meeting list that have been sitting there for three or four weeks, and when we finally get to them, the owner has forgotten why they even added them. How do we keep our Issues List fresh and relevant?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Issues that linger on your list for weeks without action become stale and drain your team's focus. When a leader finally opens an issue and says they forgot why they put it on the list, you are tolerating sloppy operational discipline. It shows that your team is treating the Issues List as a graveyard rather than an active workspace. To resolve this, implement a strict three-week rule for all weekly issues. If an issue has sat on the list for three consecutive weeks without being prioritized for IDS, it must be removed. The owner can either take it offline, turn it into a personal To-Do, or let it go. If it is truly important, it will come back. Additionally, require everyone to add a short, one-sentence context note next to any issue they add to the list. This ensures that even if it takes a couple of weeks to reach the item, the owner can instantly recall the specific trigger and desired outcome. Keeping your Issues List clean and active is essential for a focused leadership team. It prevents cognitive overload and ensures that your weekly meeting pulse is always focused on the most urgent, high-leverage problems holding your business back from scaling or preparing for a clean exit.