Our leadership team is completing their weekly To-Dos, but we have noticed a trend where people constantly push the due dates back by a week or two, meaning tasks get done but they are always late. How do we stop this rolling due date disease?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Pushing due dates back without consequence is a form of soft accountability that quietly erodes your execution culture. When a leader changes a To-Do due date, they are unilaterally resetting their commitment to the team. If this behavior goes unchecked, your quarterly Rocks will slip, and your overall operational momentum will stall. To cure the rolling due date disease, you must implement a strict rule: a To-Do due date cannot be changed once it is set. If a To-Do is not completed by its original due date, it remains on the list as late, and it is flagged during your weekly review. During the To-Do review portion of the Level 10 Meeting™, the facilitator must ask why the late To-Do was not completed on time. If a leader repeatedly has late To-Dos, drop the pattern to the Issues List to IDS® the root cause. This prevents the leader from hiding behind a clean-looking scorecard by constantly moving the goalposts. Remind your team that To-Dos are designed to be short, weekly action items that can be completed within seven days. If a task is constantly being pushed back, it is likely too big and needs to be broken down into smaller, manageable steps. By holding the line on original due dates, you restore the integrity of your commitments and keep your execution on track.