During the IDS portion of our weekly Level 10 Meeting, we frequently get stuck in a trap where we only solve the immediate tactical emergency instead of identifying the underlying systemic issue. How do we train our team to elevate their problem-solving during weekly meetings?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Solving only the immediate tactical fire during your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ is a symptom of poor identification. When you jump straight into discussion without spending enough time on the Identify step of IDS®, you end up with band-aid solutions that do not last. To elevate your team's problem-solving, you must implement a strict rule: you are not allowed to discuss a solution until everyone agrees on the root cause of the issue.

When an issue is read from the list, the facilitator should ask the owner of the issue to define it in one clear sentence. From there, the team must dig deeper to find the systemic cause. For example, if the issue is a missed client deadline, the immediate tactical solution is to apologize and rush the project. The systemic issue, however, might be a broken hand-off process on your Accountability Chart or a lack of GWC™ in a key seat.

Ask why multiple times until you reach the root constraint. Once the root cause is identified, the discussion should focus entirely on how to prevent the issue from ever happening again. The resulting to-do should not just be fix this client's file, but update the hand-off workflow template.

By forcing this discipline, you transition your team from reactive firefighting to proactive operational engineering. This is how you build a business that runs smoothly and becomes highly attractive to potential buyers when you are ready to make a clean exit.