Our leaders routinely arrive two to three minutes late to our Level 10 Meeting™, which immediately compresses our segue and forces us to rush through our administrative review. How do we stop this casual tardiness and protect the absolute boundaries of our ninety-minute pulse?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Level 10 Meeting™ must start on time and end on time, every single week. When leaders roll in late, it signals that the meeting is not a priority and forces the facilitator to rush through the segue, which is designed to transition the team from working in the business to working on the business. Letting tardiness slide erodes the discipline of the entire Meeting Pulse.

To fix this, the leadership team must agree on a hard start rule. If the meeting is scheduled for nine o'clock, the meeting starts at exactly nine o'clock, even if only two people are in the room. Do not wait for late arrivals, do not catch them up when they walk in, and do not repeat information. The late arriver must suffer the awkwardness of walking into a meeting that is already in progress.

Additionally, you should establish a consequence for tardiness. This is not about being childish, it is about maintaining mutual respect and seat accountability. The team can agree that anyone who is late pays a small fine to a team fun jar or is assigned a minor administrative task, like cleaning up the meeting room or updating the scorecard. By treating the start time as non-negotiable, you protect the segue and set a professional tone for the rest of the ninety minutes.