How to Run Level 10 Meetings in Ninety

A Level 10 Meeting™ is a weekly, structured meeting designed to help leadership teams stay focused, solve Issues, and drive accountability. It follows a strict agenda and is a key to running on EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System®). Integrating these meetings into your weekly routine with Ninety's platform streamlines processes and enhances team collaboration.

Introduction to Level 10 Meetings

Level 10 Meetings are designed first and foremost for leadership teams. Still, any team can use their framework and agenda — many department-level teams reduce meeting length from 90 minutes to 60 minutes.

Forming your team's meeting cadence around weekly Level 10 meetings is essential for providing a consistent forum to evaluate key metrics, review goals, address pressing Issues, and ensure everyone is aligned with the company's Vision. The ultimate aim is to make these meetings so effective that participants would rate them a "10" on a scale of 1 to 10.

Key Features of Level 10 Meetings

Consistent Scheduling: Teams should hold their Level 10 Meetings on the same day and time each week to establish a reliable rhythm.
Structured Agenda: A standardized agenda ensures all critical topics are covered efficiently.
Time Management: Each meeting segment is time-boxed to maintain focus and productivity.
Issue Prioritization: Emphasis on identifying and resolving the most pressing Issues affecting the team or the organization.
Accountability: Regularly review action items and goals to track progress and hold team members accountable.

Running Level 10 Meetings with Ninety

We've designed our platform to facilitate seamless Level 10 Meetings by automating agendas, tracking time, and documenting outcomes. Here's how to effectively run these meetings using Ninety:

Schedule your meetings ahead of time.
Prepare for your L10 by keeping Ninety's tools up to date.
Conduct your meetings on Ninety.

Scheduling Your Level 10 Meetings

To schedule a Level 10 Meeting™ for your team:

Click Meetings from the left navigation.
Click Schedule a Meeting.
Select Level 10 Meeting™ from the Agenda dropdown.
Click the calendar icon to select a meeting date.
Enter the start time for the meeting based on your time zone in Ninety.
1. (Optional) Choose when to repeat the meeting from the Repeating Meeting Cadence dropdown.
2. (Optional) Choose a facilitator and scribe from the respective dropdowns.
Click Save.
(Optional) Add the meeting to your work calendar.

Preparing for Your Level 10 Meeting

To prepare for an upcoming Level 10 Meeting on Ninety, ensure the items you're accountable for are up to date, including:

Measurables in the Scorecard tool.
Quarterly goals and Milestones in the Rocks tool.
Action items in the To-Dos tool.
Problems, obstacles, and opportunities are documented in the Issues tool.
Announcements in the Headlines tool.

Conducting Your Level 10 Meeting

We've pre-populated the tried-and-true Level 10 Meeting™ agenda in our Meetings tool. To start your Level 10 Meeting on Ninety:

Click Meetings from the left navigation.
Click the Start a Meeting button.
Select Level 10 Meeting™ from the Agenda dropdown.

Note: If your meeting was previously scheduled, click Start for the meeting in the Upcoming Meetings section.

The Level 10 Meeting™ Agenda

Here's a breakdown of the agenda:

Segue (5 minutes): Each participant shares personal or professional good news to build rapport and transition into the meeting mindset.
Scorecard Review (5 minutes): Assess key Measurables. Any off-track metrics are added to the Issues List for deeper discussion.
Rock Review (5 minutes): Evaluate the status of quarterly goals. Any goals not progressing as planned are noted as issues.
Customer/Employee Headlines (5 minutes): Share significant updates or feedback. Positive news is celebrated, while concerns are moved to the Issues List.
To-Do List Review (5 minutes): Verify the completion of action items from the previous meeting. Incomplete items are examined to understand obstacles.
Identify, Discuss, Solve (IDS®) (60 minutes): Prioritize and address the top Issues. Utilize Ninety's tools to document discussions and assign actionable steps.
Conclude (5 minutes): Recap new action items, determine any messages to cascade to the broader team, and rate the meeting's effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 10.

Customizing the Level 10 Meeting Agenda

Teams can customize their agendas in the Meetings tool by selecting the Agendas tab. Owners, Admins, and Implementers can adjust agendas for the whole organization in Company Settings > Meetings.

Teams on the Essentials subscription plan can customize their Level 10 Meeting agenda
Teams on the Accelerate or Thrive subscription plan can customize any of their meeting agenda or create their own from scratch

Tips and Best Practices

Holding effective Level 10 Meetings weekly is essential to strengthen your organization's Meetings Component, one of the Six Key Components® identified by the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS®). You can learn more about the Six Key Components® and the EOS Model from this blog and more about Level 10 Meetings in this article, both written by a Professional EOS Implementer®.

Here are some quick tips and best practices to improve your team's Level 10 Meetings: