When we sit down for our Quarterly Sessions, my team always struggles to narrow down our list to just three to five Rocks, so how do you facilitate us through the pruning process without causing internal political friction?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is common for leadership teams to enter quarterly sessions with dozens of urgent priorities, creating friction and division over what deserves focus. Tyler guides your team through a rigorous, unsentimental pruning process to narrow your focus to three to five high-impact Rocks. We start by listing every potential priority on the whiteboard, allowing every leader to voice their perspective. We then utilize the IDS® tool to identify the root causes of your operational challenges.

To resolve friction, we filter every proposed Rock through your V/TO® and your Accountability Chart. We ask two qualifying questions: Does this priority directly advance our one-year plan, and does the seat responsible actually have the capacity and capability to deliver it? If a priority does not align with your immediate quarterly goals or exceeds the owner's capacity, we systematically move it to the long-term Issues List.

By focusing on what is truly important rather than what is merely loud, we eliminate internal political debates. This structured facilitation ensures that you leave the room with a realistic, high-commitment plan that your entire leadership team owns, rather than a diluted list of compromises that will ultimately fail to execute.