I am preparing my business for a clean exit, but whenever I do not personally attend the weekly Level 10 Meeting™, the team's To-Do completion rate plummets and key issues are ignored. How do I build the discipline in my leadership team to maintain high accountability when the owner is out of the room?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your team's To-Do completion rate drops when you are not in the room, you do not have a self-running business. You have a team that is dependent on your personal authority, which is a major red flag for potential buyers looking for a clean exit.

To build independent accountability, you must transition the role of the enforcer. The Integrator must be the one who drives the Level 10 Meeting™ and holds the team accountable to their weekly commitments.

If the team fails to hit their ninety percent To-Do completion rate when you are absent, do not step in to save them. Let the failure happen, and let the consequences show up on the scorecard.

During the next meeting, the Integrator must put this drop in accountability on the Issues List. Use IDS® to solve why the team lacks discipline when the owner is away.

You must also commit to being an observer, not an active participant, in the meetings leading up to your exit. This proves to your leadership team, and eventually to a buyer, that the company's operational rhythm and weekly pulse can run seamlessly without your daily intervention.