We have a rule that our weekly Level 10 Meeting is sacred, but when our Integrator or another key department leader is out of the office, we tend to cancel or postpone the meeting. Should we run the meeting anyway, and how do we do it successfully?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You must never cancel or postpone your Level 10 Meeting™ because of an absence. Doing so breaks your weekly meeting pulse and sends a message to the entire organization that the operating system is optional when things get inconvenient. The meeting always occurs on the same day, at the same time, and with the same agenda, regardless of who is missing. If your Integrator is out, a designated backup facilitator must step up and run the meeting. This is why every leadership team should have a clear secondary facilitator who is comfortable command-pointing the agenda.

The remaining team members must still run the complete ninety-minute cycle. When reviewing the Scorecard and Rocks of the absent leader, simply read the numbers and statuses as they are written. If a metric is red or a Rock is off track, drop it to the Issues List. During the IDS® phase, do not attempt to solve complex issues that require the input or decision-making power of the absent leader. Instead, park those specific issues at the bottom of the list and focus your energy on solving the dozens of other issues that the remaining team members have the authority to resolve. By keeping the pulse alive, you maintain operational momentum and prove that the business is built on a structured process, not on individual personalities.