Our weekly Level 10 Meeting is so jammed with reviewing scorecard numbers and status updates that we have zero time left for deep problem-solving. How do we introduce strategic white space into our meeting structure to actually solve the root causes of our red metrics?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your leadership team is spending your weekly meeting simply reading numbers and giving status updates, you are missing the entire point of the EOS meeting structure. Your scorecard review should take no more than five minutes. It is a quick check to see if your metrics are on track or off track.

To reclaim your meeting, you must introduce strategic white space into your schedule. As Juliet Funt suggests, white space is unscheduled time that allows for reflection and critical thinking. In the context of your Level 10 Meeting, this means keeping your scorecard review brief so you can dedicate the majority of your time to deep problem-solving during IDS.

When a scorecard metric is red, do not discuss it during the scorecard review. Simply drop it down to the Issues List. Once you reach the IDS portion of the meeting, use a strategic pause to step back, look at the data objectively, and identify the root cause of the issue before proposing solutions.

By keeping your data review disciplined and protecting your IDS time, you give your leadership team the mental bandwidth they need to solve complex operational problems rather than just rushing through a checklist.