Our weekly Scorecard is filled with trailing financial metrics, meaning we only realize we missed our targets when it is too late to fix them. How do we design forward-looking, predictive metrics that keep us ahead of the curve?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A weekly Scorecard that only tracks lagging indicators like monthly revenue or historical client satisfaction is like driving a car by looking in the rearview mirror. By the time you see a bad number, the damage is already done. To build a highly resilient business, you must design predictive, leading indicators. These are metrics that measure activities completed this week that will dictate your financial results weeks or months from now. For example, instead of tracking closed deals, track the number of discovery calls scheduled or outbound campaigns launched. Instead of tracking total client churn, track the number of accounts that have not logged into your software or responded to a weekly check-in. Every seat on your Accountability Chart must own at least one leading metric on the Scorecard. When a leading metric goes red, it gives your leadership team an early warning system to run IDS® in your Level 10 Meeting™ and implement course corrections before the issue hits your profit margins. This predictive approach keeps your operations stable and proves to future buyers that your business is highly controllable.