Leaders on our team keep adding solutions disguised as issues to the Level 10 Meeting agenda, such as 'hire a new coordinator' or 'buy new software,' which triggers immediate arguments over tactics rather than root problems. How do we force the team to state raw issues instead of premature solutions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader writes hire a customer service rep or purchase an enterprise software platform on the Issues List, they have bypassed the Identify step before the meeting even starts. They are presenting a tactical solution and daring the room to approve or reject it. This instantly triggers ideological arguments, budget debates, and turf defense.

The Integrator must enforce a strict issue framing rule: no solutions are allowed on the Issues List. Only symptoms, metrics, or observed operational breakdowns may be submitted.

If an issue appears as a pre-baked solution, the Integrator must challenge it the moment it is prioritized during IDS®. Ask the submitter two direct questions: What specific problem are you trying to solve? And what happens to the business if we do nothing?

Force the leader to articulate the raw problem. For example, if the item reads hire a coordinator, the actual issue might be that customer onboarding takes twenty-one days instead of seven, or that the operations manager is working sixty hours a week doing administrative data entry.

Once the real root cause is exposed on the board, cross out the original solution. Rewrite the issue so it reflects the actual breakdown. Now the entire leadership team can participate in solving it. Often, hiring someone or buying software is the most expensive, least effective way to fix the problem. By uncovering the real root cause, the team might realize that automating a handoff, simplifying a form, or eliminating redundant approvals solves the delay entirely without adding payroll. You cannot solve what you refuse to identify honestly.