The Level 10 Meeting™ is a weekly leadership meeting format within the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®). It’s designed to keep leadership teams aligned, focused, and accountable by following a structured, repeatable agenda that covers key updates, metrics, priorities, and issue resolution.
The name “Level 10” comes from the idea that teams should rate their meetings for effectiveness, with the goal of consistently reaching a 10 out of 10. It’s a core part of the EOS® operating rhythm and is designed to work in concert with other EOS® tools like the Scorecard™, Rocks™, and IDS™ (Identify, Discuss, Solve).
The Level 10 Meeting™ is a proprietary tool within the EOS® system with a defined agenda, format, and set of operating principles. For detailed guidance on how to run one, visit eosworldwide.com or work with a certified EOS Implementer™.
Why the Level 10 Meeting™ Matters
Most growing companies suffer from the same meeting problem: too many meetings that don’t accomplish enough, and not enough meetings that actually move the business forward. Leadership teams spend hours in status updates, side conversations, and discussions that end without clear decisions or assigned owners.
The Level 10 Meeting™ is designed to solve this. By following a structured, consistent agenda every week, it ensures that leadership time is spent on the things that matter most, reviewing key metrics, tracking priorities, surfacing issues, and resolving them with clear decisions and assigned action items.
Teams that adopt the Level 10 Meeting™ consistently report shorter, more productive meetings, faster decision-making, stronger accountability, and fewer issues that linger unresolved week after week.
Why Effective Leadership Meetings Matter
The principles behind the Level 10 Meeting™, structure, consistency, issue resolution, and accountability, reflect what makes any leadership meeting effective, regardless of which framework you use.
General Principles of Effective Leadership Meetings
- Use a consistent agenda. The best meetings follow the same format every time. When the team knows what to expect, preparation improves, conversations stay focused, and less time is wasted on logistics.
- Review key metrics, not just narratives. Data-driven meetings are faster and more honest. A small set of key numbers reviewed weekly gives the team an objective read on business health, without relying on stories or gut feelings.
- Track priorities visibly. Quarterly priorities should be reviewed briefly every week, not just at the end of the quarter. A simple “on track” or “off track” update keeps goals alive and creates early warning signals when things slip.
- Solve issues, don’t just discuss them. The most productive meetings dedicate significant time to identifying, discussing, and resolving the most important issues facing the business. Every issue should end with a clear decision and an assigned owner.
- End with clear commitments. No one should leave a meeting unsure of what they’re responsible for. Closing with a review of action items, owners, and deadlines locks in accountability.
- Keep it consistent. Same day, same time, every week. Treating the meeting as non-negotiable builds the discipline that makes everything else work.
- Limit attendance to decision-makers. Keep the meeting strategic. If team members need visibility, cascade the outcomes through department meetings rather than expanding the room.
These are foundational practices for any leadership team, not unique to any single framework. The EOS® Level 10 Meeting™ applies them within a specific, structured system designed to create consistency and accountability. For the specifics of the Level 10 Meeting™ agenda and format, visit eosworldwide.com.
What Makes the Level 10 Meeting™ Different
While the principles above are universal, the Level 10 Meeting™ distinguishes itself through the specificity and integration of its format. It’s not just a meeting with a good agenda, it’s a meeting that’s designed to work in concert with the other tools in the EOS® system.
The Scorecard™ feeds into it. Quarterly Rocks™ are reviewed within it. Issues are resolved using the structured IDS™ process. And the meeting itself generates action items that carry forward into the next week. This integration is what gives the Level 10 Meeting™ its power, and it’s why the meeting works best when adopted as part of a broader EOS® implementation rather than as a standalone practice.
For companies interested in the Level 10 Meeting™, the recommended path is to work with a certified EOS Implementer™ who can help the leadership team learn the format, build the right habits, and integrate the meeting into the broader EOS® operating rhythm.
Getting Started With the Level 10 Meeting™
The Level 10 Meeting™ is designed to be adopted as part of the broader EOS® framework, not as an isolated meeting technique. Its agenda, tools, and operating principles are built to reinforce the other elements of the system, and the meeting is most effective when the team has also adopted the Scorecard™, Rocks™, and IDS™ process.
For that reason, the best way to get started is to work with a certified EOS Implementer™. These are trained professionals who guide leadership teams through the entire EOS® process, including how to run Level 10 Meetings™ effectively from day one.
If you’d like to learn more before committing, Gino Wickman’s book Traction offers a helpful introduction to the Level 10 Meeting™ and the broader philosophy behind it. For hands-on implementation support, visit eosworldwide.com to find a certified EOS Implementer™ in your area.
Common Challenges With Leadership Meetings
Even teams that are committed to running better meetings can fall into familiar traps. A few patterns show up across companies of all sizes:
- Meetings that run long without resolution. When conversations aren’t structured, discussions wander and decisions don’t get made. The team leaves without clear next steps.
- Status updates masquerading as strategy. Many leadership meetings are consumed by people reporting what they’ve done, rather than tackling the issues that are blocking progress.
- Inconsistency. Meetings that get rescheduled, shortened, or skipped signal that the rhythm isn’t a priority, and the team responds accordingly.
- Vague commitments. If action items don’t have a single owner and a clear deadline, they rarely get done.
- Avoiding difficult issues. The most important conversations are often the hardest ones. Meetings that avoid conflict tend to recycle the same unresolved problems week after week.
These challenges aren’t unique to any framework. They’re the universal friction points that the Level 10 Meeting™, and any well-designed meeting cadence, is designed to address.
Final Thoughts
The EOS® Level 10 Meeting™ is a structured, purpose-built tool for turning leadership meetings into a disciplined engine for alignment, accountability, and issue resolution. When implemented correctly, as part of the broader EOS® system, it transforms how leadership teams spend their time together, creating the operating rhythm that powers growth.
If you’re interested in the Level 10 Meeting™ and the broader EOS® framework, the right place to start is with a certified EOS Implementer™. Visit eosworldwide.com to explore the system and find a certified professional in your area.
A note on leadership meetings more broadly: Whether or not EOS® is the right fit for your business, building a consistent, structured leadership meeting cadence is one of the most impactful operational improvements a growing company can make. If your meetings feel unproductive, your decisions lack follow-through, or your team keeps recycling the same issues, investing in meeting discipline will pay dividends. A fractional COO can help you design and facilitate the meeting rhythm your team needs.
Need Help Building an Effective Leadership Meeting Rhythm?
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