Members of our leadership team frequently rewrite their Rock milestones mid-quarter or pursue pet projects without telling the rest of the team, claiming urgent business realities forced the change. How do we enforce cross-functional commitment to our quarterly priorities?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When executives alter their Rocks mid-quarter or drift into pet projects without consulting the team, they are treating 90-day commitments as optional suggestions. This behavior destroys cross-functional trust, scrambles capacity planning, and signals to the rest of the company that strategic priorities are purely decorative.

Re-establish the rule: Rocks are set in stone for ninety days. During quarterly planning, the leadership team commits to three to seven company priorities that will move the needle, and each executive takes personal ownership of individual Rocks. Once agreed upon, no leader has the unilateral authority to abandon, redefine, or swap a Rock mid-stream.

If unexpected business realities genuinely threaten execution mid-quarter, that situation must be brought directly to the Level 10 Meeting as an issue. Drop the operational reality into IDS. The entire leadership team must evaluate whether the original priority remains valid or if resources must be formally redeployed. If the team agrees a Rock must pivot, the decision is made collectively and communicated with total clarity.

During weekly Level 10 Meetings, hold the line on the Rock review. Leaders report only on track or off track. If an executive claims a dropped milestone is fine because they pivoted to something else, call it off track immediately. Do not accept tactical distractions as valid execution. If a leader repeatedly chases shiny objects instead of finishing their committed Rocks, you have a GWC issue regarding execution and focus.