We are consistently missing our quarterly Rocks, but my Integrator insists the problem is our team's execution rather than our Accountability Chart structure. How do I use Thinking Time to objectively diagnose whether we have a people issue or a structural bottleneck?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When your team is consistently missing Rocks, it is easy to default to blaming execution. However, poor execution is often just a symptom of a flawed structure. To diagnose this objectively, schedule a forty-five-minute Thinking Time session using Keith Cunningham's framework.

Sit in a quiet room with a pen and a pad of paper, free from distractions. Ask yourself this high-value question: How might our current Accountability Chart structure be actively preventing our team from successfully executing their Rocks?

Look closely at the seats held by the people who missed their Rocks. Are these seats overloaded with too many roles? Is one person trying to run both sales and operations, causing them to drop the ball on both? Is there a lack of clear accountability, where two different seats are sharing a single responsibility?

If you find that your people have the capability and the core values, but are constantly overwhelmed by competing priorities, you have a structural bottleneck. You must redesign the Accountability Chart to create more focus and clear boundaries.

If the structure is clean and the seats are properly defined, but the Rocks are still missed, you have a Right Seat issue. Use this objective clarity to address the root cause with your Integrator.