Our short-term Issues List is clogged with big, strategic, long-term questions that require hours of planning, which prevents us from solving the weekly operational fires. How do we parse weekly issues from quarterly or annual strategic discussions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A healthy Level 10 Meeting requires a strict separation of short-term issues and long-term strategic issues. If you try to solve annual strategy questions during your weekly ninety-minute pulse, you will run out of time to handle the tactical fires keeping your business from running smoothly today.

To fix this, utilize your compartments. Your short-term Issues List is strictly for things that must be resolved this week or this quarter to keep your Rocks on track and your Scorecard green. If an issue does not require immediate action, it does not belong on this list.

If a leader brings up a strategic issue, the facilitator must identify it immediately. Ask: Does this need to be solved this week, or is this a bigger discussion for our next Quarterly Session? If it is a bigger discussion, move it directly to your V/TO Long-Term Issues List. This list acts as your parking lot for the quarter.

By keeping your weekly list lean and focused on short-term operations, you protect the efficiency of your IDS time. You will solve the immediate bottlenecks today while ensuring your big strategic ideas are preserved for your quarterly offsite where you have the time and focus to address them properly.