During our weekly Rock review, one of our leaders consistently reports that their Rock is on track, but in week ten or eleven, it suddenly flips to off track and they fail to complete it. How do we use the Level 10 Meeting to prevent these late-quarter surprises?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The late-quarter Rock flip is a classic sign of a leader who is hiding the truth, either out of optimism or fear of failure. It destroys organizational trust and derails your quarterly plans. Your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ must be used as an early-warning system to catch these slow-motion trainwrecks before it is too late.

To prevent this, you must change how you review Rocks during the weekly meeting. When a leader says a Rock is on track, they are not just saying they worked on it. They are stating that they will absolutely hit the target by the end of the quarter.

If a Rock is complex, the owner must break it down into clear, measurable weekly milestones. During the Rock review, the facilitator should periodically challenge the on track status by asking for proof of progress against those milestones. For example, if a Rock is to implement a new CRM, and by week six they have not selected the software, that Rock is off track, regardless of what the owner says.

If there is any doubt or delay, the Rock must be declared off track immediately and dropped to the Issues List to be solved via IDS®. Being off track is not a failure; it is simply a request for help from the team. By forcing this level of transparency early in the quarter, you give the leadership team a chance to help solve the obstacles and save the Rock.