For years I thought meetings were just a tax we all paid for having a job. Right up there with folding laundry and going to the DMV on my list of things I'd rather not do with my afternoon. An hour we'd never get back, spent listening to someone drone on about things that honestly could've been handled in a two-sentence email. I dreaded them. Most people I know do too.
At a software company where I sat on the leadership team, we used to have meetings that were basically group therapy sessions where nothing got resolved.
But when we implemented EOS, we started running what's called a Level 10 Meeting, or L10 for short. Same agenda, same structure, every single week. Simple...game-changing!
Now I help implement that same L10 rhythm with the leadership teams I work with, and I can tell you the meetings were never the actual problem. The problem was that nobody ever gave them any structure.
Think about the last meeting you sat in. Did it start on time? Was there an actual agenda that people followed? Were attendees focused and not on their phones? Did you walk out with clear next steps, a plan of attack, and one person attached to each? Or did everyone just kind of talk until the hour ran out and then scatter back to their desks feeling like that was a waste of everyone's time?
The L10 runs the same way every single time. Same day, same time, same agenda. Ninety minutes. Time well spent reviewing Scorecard numbers that matter and checking in on Rocks, which are the quarterly priorities. The rest of the time, and this is the part nobody expects to love, is spent IDS-ing the issues that are holding the business back. IDS stands for Identify, Discuss, Solve, and it means you're not just talking about problems or acknowledging they exist. You're solving them, with a decision, an owner, and a deadline...before anyone leaves the room.
I'll never forget the first time a team ran one of these and a guy who had been skeptical the whole time leaned back and said "that's the most productive meeting we've had in three years." All we did was add structure to something they were already doing. That's it. No magic. No complicated framework. Just a meeting that doesn't make everyone want to fake a dentist appointment to get out of it.
When was the last time you left a meeting and thought "that was a great use of my time"? If you can't remember, that tells you something.
About Me
As a Professional EOS® Implementer, I serve as a teacher, coach, and facilitator, helping business leaders transform their companies through the Entrepreneurial Operating System®.
Helping leadership teams gain clarity and Traction is not just something I do. It is the work I am built for. And it brings me immense joy to help entrepreneurial companies run a better business and live a better life.
https://www.eosworldwide.com/niki-wilson
