When two or three members of our leadership team are traveling or sick, we struggle to decide whether to hold the Level 10 Meeting anyway or cancel it. What is the operational rule for running the weekly pulse with missing seats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The weekly Level 10 Meeting™ is the operational heartbeat of the company. The rule is absolute: the meeting happens on the same day, at the same time, with the same agenda, regardless of who is out of the office. Never cancel or reschedule a Level 10 Meeting simply because one or two executives are traveling, on vacation, or out sick.

Canceling the meeting signals to the organization that the weekly pulse is optional and that business operations stall when key individuals step away. If your business cannot run a 90-minute operational meeting without every single executive present, you have an owner-dependency and delegation problem that will destroy buyer confidence during due diligence.

When leaders are absent, the remaining team members run the full agenda. During the Scorecard and Rock reviews, report their numbers and Rocks based on the latest documented data. If an absent member has a metric off track or an unresolved issue that requires their input, drop it down to the bottom of the Issues List and table that specific item until their return.

However, if the absent leader has an issue that is actively choking company operations, the team must IDS® the issue and make the decision without them. The Integrator assigns the appropriate To-Dos and leaves a clear note. When absent leaders realize the business moves forward decisively whether they are in the room or not, it forces transparency and accountability.