Some of our leaders bring complex operational issues to the Level 10 Meeting™ list that they have already fully decided on, essentially using IDS® as a rubber-stamping committee rather than a collaborative problem-solving tool. How do we keep these pre-solved decisions off our issues list and protect our collective time for actual problem-solving?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A common source of meeting waste is the rubber-stamp issue. This occurs when a leader brings a problem to the Level 10 Meeting issues list that they have already fully solved, simply seeking validation or consensus from the rest of the team. This dilutes the purpose of IDS, which is collaborative problem-solving for unresolved, complex issues. To prevent this, the Integrator must act as a strict gatekeeper during the prioritization step of IDS. Before diving into an issue, ask the owner a simple question: what is the specific decision or help you need from this team today? If the owner responds that they just want to make sure everyone is okay with their plan, stop the discussion immediately. A leadership team member operating in their seat on the Accountability Chart has the authority and GWC to make decisions within their domain. They do not need a weekly committee to approve their daily work. If the team needs to be aware of the decision, it should have been shared as a quick broadcast during the Customer and Employee Headlines section. Instruct the leader to send a brief update via your internal communication tool instead. Remove the item from the issues list immediately, saving your collective IDS time for genuine, unresolved challenges that require the diverse brains of the entire leadership team.