One of our key department heads is a great operator, but they consistently push back on setting quarterly Rocks, claiming that strategic goals are a distraction from their daily workload. How do we get them to buy into our planning process?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader views strategic planning as a distraction, they do not understand how execution works. They are operating in a purely reactive mode, putting out daily fires instead of building scalable systems. To resolve this, you must have a candid conversation grounded in the Yes! to Strategy and Structure pillar of Our Charter. Explain that Rocks are not extra credit or additional tasks piled on top of their daily workload. Rocks are the three to seven most important priorities for the next ninety days that will move the business forward. If their daily workload is so overwhelming that they cannot complete a single strategic priority, their department structure is broken. Use your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ to address this issue. Show them how their daily tasks should be managed by their team, freeing up their capacity to focus on high-impact Rocks. Frame the planning process as a tool that will actually reduce their daily firefighting over time. If they continue to resist, they are failing to demonstrate a Grow or Die mindset. A leader who refuses to focus on the future will eventually hold the entire company back, and you must evaluate if they belong in an executive seat.