Does your leadership team think issues are radioactive?  As in, they avoid them like the plague?  Congrats – you are normal.  No one likes to see a list of problems, challenges, or issues on a list to deal with.  But every business has them. And if you don’t – that’s also an issue! Here’s the real takeaway:  your issues list isn’t a list of problems; it’s a big fat list of opportunities.   Opportunities to strengthen your business. Opportunities to get ahead of problems before they become fires. Opportunities to actually lead instead of react.   Every week, when your leadership team meets, solving your issues should be the priority. That’s the entire point of the Level 10 meeting. It’s meant to be the most productive and efficient time you spend together.   If it isn’t, you may be doing it wrong.   Follow the Level 10 agenda to a tee.   Time it. 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/structure-everything-thomas-sauvageau-uzu1c/   Kerry: Last month, Tom and I talked about investing in our community and why Chamber involvement matters far beyond a line item on a budget. This month, we’re staying grounded in business fundamentals, but tackling something that quietly makes or breaks companies. Structure. Not the stiff, corporate kind. The kind that determines whether a business feels steady and manageable, or chaotic and exhausting. Because here’s what I hear all the time from business owners. “We’re busy. We’re growing. We’re working hard. And somehow, everything still feels heavier than it should.” Tom: That’s usually my cue to start asking questions about accountability. One of the first places I look when trying to help a business improve is how clearly a specific task can be tied to a specific person. And just as important, whether everyone in the business knows who they are accountable to or accountable for. When that’s

You already have a vision for your business. The frustrating part is you can see where you want to go… and still feel like the week eats your plans for breakfast. That’s the sneaky thing about growth: it’s not just “more.” It’s more people, more decisions, more meetings, more plates spinning—until the business starts depending on a few heroic leaders to keep everything from wobbling. Heroics look impressive on LinkedIn. They’re also a terrible long-term operating strategy. Why growth stalls/or why it starts to feel heavier Most businesses don’t stall because leadership is lazy or unmotivated. They stall because execution gets sloppy under pressure. Priorities change mid-quarter (sometimes mid-Tuesday) Teams “agree” in a meeting, then go back to their own worlds Goals exist… but aren’t tracked in a way that drives behavior Meetings multiply, yet the same issues keep coming back like a bad sequel When there isn’t a simple,

TEST

We are entering the season of “more.” More goals, more revenue targets, more initiatives for the New Year. But before you add more to your plate, I want you to take a look at who is sitting at the table with you. My one wish for you this holiday season is that you solve one specific “people issue” before the calendar turns. I want you to plan that “Right People, Right Seat” move you’ve been delaying. If you’ve read my previous articles, you know that I often talk about the danger of tolerating mediocrity and the courage required to hold people accountable. But the ultimate test of that courage is recognizing when a change must be made—not for the sake of punishment, but for the sake of the organization’s future. The “Right People, Right Seat” Audit To build a great company, you need two things to be true about every

One of the most common frustrations I hear from business owners is this: “My people just don’t get it.” Of course they’re working hard, but just not on the right things. They’re busy, but not always productive. They’re committed, but not always aligned. Here’s the truth: If someone on your team is unclear about what success looks like, that is on you and your leadership team, not on them. In the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), we teach that leaders create clarity. When clarity is missing, people fill the gaps with assumptions or past habits, and that creates friction. You see it in missed goals, rework, confusion, and slow progress. Almost every chronic issue can be traced back to one root cause. People are unclear about what matters most. Clarity is not optional. It is leadership. So how do you fix it? You go back to the fundamentals. Define success in