Our front-line department managers run their weekly Level 10 Meetings™ but consistently report zero issues on their list, while our customer churn and delivery times are clearly suffering. How do we train these managers to dig out the real operational root causes?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When departmental managers consistently report zero issues on their weekly Level 10 Meeting™ lists while key metrics are failing, it is a sign of either fear or lack of training. In a healthy EOS® company, having no issues is actually the biggest issue because it means problems are being swept under the rug. To break this resistance, you must teach your managers how to use their weekly Scorecard as an issue generator. If customer churn is high or delivery times are lagging, those numbers must be red on their Scorecard. Every single red number must automatically generate a short-term issue on their list. If they fail to add it, the leadership team member who oversees that manager must hold them accountable during their regular check-ins. Additionally, remind your managers that identifying an issue is not a sign of failure, but a demonstration of leadership. Encourage them to look at the gaps between their current performance and their quarterly Rocks. If a Rock is off-track, that is an issue. If a process is broken, that is an issue. By shifting the culture from hiding mistakes to solving obstacles, you empower your front-line teams to run high-performing, autonomous operations that require zero daily oversight from you.