The Rocks System Decoded: How to Set Quarterly Priorities That Actually Get Done
Every leadership team I work with struggles with the same challenge: they set quarterly priorities with great enthusiasm, then watch 90 days later as half of them remain incomplete. The problem is not lack of effort or commitment. The problem is that most teams do not understand how to select Rocks that move their business forward.
Here is what most companies get wrong. They treat Rocks like a to-do list, filling their quarterly priorities with operational tasks that would happen anyway. "Maintain customer satisfaction scores" is not a Rock. "Launch the new client onboarding process that reduces time-to-value by 30%" is a Rock. The first is business as usual. The second creates breakthrough progress.
The power of the Rocks system lies in its forcing function. When you commit to only three to seven priorities per quarter, you must make real choices. This constraint is not a limitation but a gift. It forces you to distinguish between what is urgent and what is important, between incremental improvement and transformational change.
Effective Rocks share three characteristics. First, they are specific and measurable. "Improve sales" fails this test. "Generate $500K in new revenue from the healthcare vertical" passes it. Second, they represent stretch goals that require focused effort. If your Rocks would get done anyway without special attention, they are not serving their purpose. Third, they align with your longer-term vision. Each Rock should be a steppingstone toward your three-year picture and ten-year target.
The selection process matters as much as the Rocks themselves. When leadership teams create Rocks in isolation and hand them down, they get compliance at best. When teams engage in collaborative dialogue about what matters most, they get commitment. This difference shows up in execution quality, problem-solving creativity, and willingness to overcome obstacles.
Many organizations fail at Rocks because they confuse activity with progress. They celebrate completion rates without asking whether the completed Rocks moved the business forward. A team that achieves 100% of weak Rocks accomplishes less than a team that achieves 70% of transformational Rocks. The quality of your quarterly priorities determines the trajectory of your organization.
The weekly review ritual makes or breaks your Rocks system. In Level 10 Meetings, each Rock owner reports on-track or off-track status. This simple discipline creates visibility and accountability. When a Rock goes off-track, the team can address obstacles immediately rather than discovering failure at the quarter's end. The meeting rhythm turns Rocks from static goals into dynamic drivers of organizational focus.
Your Rocks system reveals your organization's true priorities. If your team consistently fails to complete Rocks related to culture or people development while nailing operational Rocks, you have learned something important about where your real focus lies. The pattern of what gets done and what gets delayed tells the truth about your values more clearly than any mission statement.
Great Rocks systems create alignment throughout the organization. When the leadership team sets company Rocks, department heads can set Rocks that support them. Individual contributors can align their efforts with team Rocks. This cascade effect multiplies focus and ensures everyone is rowing in the same direction.
Ready to master the Rocks system and the other tools that create organizational focus and execution? Get your copy of Supercharge: A New Playbook for Leadership in hardcover or paperback here.
