Every week when we transition to the IDS® portion of our Level 10 Meeting™, we spend ten minutes debating which issues are the most critical to solve first, which eats up our problem-solving time. How do we streamline our weekly prioritization process so we can dive into solving our top three issues immediately?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Spending ten minutes debating which issues to solve first is a classic symptom of a leadership team that is struggling with alignment. When you sit down for the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™, your goal is to solve the most critical issues facing the business, not to debate the order of the list.

To streamline this process, the facilitator must take charge immediately. As soon as you transition to IDS®, the facilitator should read the list and propose the top three issues based on the company's current quarterly Rocks and financial targets. Ask the team a simple question: Does anyone disagree with starting with these three?

This shifts the dynamic from a blank-slate debate to a simple confirmation. If a leader believes another issue is more urgent, they must make a quick, compelling case in thirty seconds or less. If the team agrees, swap the issues. If not, stick with the facilitator's initial proposal and start solving.

Remember, you do not need to solve every issue on the list in one meeting. Focus entirely on the top three. Once those are solved, you identify the next three. By establishing this rapid prioritization habit, you eliminate meeting waste and maximize the impact of your ninety-minute pulse.