During our five minute segue, a leader will use their professional best share to drop a massive, highly controversial business announcement or launch a new initiative, which instantly derails the mood and starts an ad hoc discussion. How do we prevent team members from using the segue as a launching pad for new initiatives?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Using the professional best portion of the segue to drop a major business announcement or pitch a new initiative is a classic tactic used by leaders who want to bypass the discipline of the weekly agenda. It catches the rest of the leadership team off guard and forces a premature discussion before you have even reviewed your scorecard or Rocks.

You must establish a hard boundary. A professional best is a celebration of a completed milestone, a closed deal, or a team win. It is never a venue for a proposal, a warning about a failing department, or a new project idea.

The moment a team member starts sharing a professional best that sounds like a pitch or an active problem, the facilitator must step in immediately. The facilitator should say, "That sounds like a major strategic topic. Let's capture that and put it directly on our IDS list so we can address it during the problem-solving section."

Do not let the team ask a single follow up question. Immediately transition to the next person segue. This protects the positive psychological transition that the segue is designed to provide and reinforces that every business problem must earn its way onto the IDS® list. If a leader wants to discuss a new initiative, they must follow the system, wait for the IDS® portion of the meeting, and let the team prioritize it against the rest of the company's pressing issues.