Our leadership team boasts a ninety percent To-Do completion rate every single week, yet the same operational issues keep appearing on our Level 10 Meeting™ list. Why are our weekly solutions failing to solve the root problems?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A high To-Do completion rate paired with recurring issues is a classic sign that your team is treating symptoms rather than solving root causes. During your IDS® sessions, you are likely jumping to conclusions and assigning quick tasks just to get the issue off the list, without doing the hard work of identifying the actual problem.

To fix this, you must spend far more time on the Identify phase of IDS®. When an issue is brought to the table, do not let the team offer solutions immediately. The facilitator must ask, "What is the real issue here?" and keep digging until you reach the core breakdown.

Often, what appears to be a communication issue is actually a structural breakdown in your Accountability Chart, or a lack of clear processes. If you simply assign a To-Do to have two people talk more, the issue will return next month.

Before any To-Do is written down, the team must agree that this specific action will solve the issue forever. If the proposed To-Do is just a temporary bandage, reject it and keep discussing. A true solution prevents the issue from ever appearing on your list again. Invest your energy in deep identification, and stop settling for easy, superficial tasks.