The pressure of executing our weekly Level 10 Meetings™ while compiling data rooms for an upcoming exit is causing our executive team to skip their strategic planning sessions. How do we insert small moments of chosen cessation to prevent operational drift?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is easy for an executive team to fall into the trap of constant busyness on the runway to an exit, but skipping your strategic planning sessions is a critical mistake that will hurt your operational performance. To prevent this drift, you must introduce Juliet Funt's concept of white space, which is open, unscheduled time with no assignment.

Specifically, implement the Strategic Pause across your leadership team. Before every weekly Level 10 Meeting™, mandate a ten-minute period of quiet reflection with no emails, phone calls, or operational tasks. Use this time to step back, reboot your brain, and transition from working in the business to thinking about the business.

Additionally, do not allow transaction tasks to crowd out your quarterly EOS® planning sessions. These planning days are vital to keeping your team aligned on your current Rocks and long-term goals. By protecting this white space, you ensure your team maintains the focus needed to run the business at peak efficiency while managing the extra workload of preparing for an exit.