Our weekly Scorecard numbers are constantly red, but everyone has an excuse. How do we build true accountability into our tracking?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Scorecard that is constantly red with no consequences is worse than having no Scorecard at all. It breeds complacency and trains your team to accept mediocrity. To fix this, you must shift your company culture from activity-based tracking to outcome-based accountability.

First, verify that you are measuring the right things. A good Scorecard tracks leading indicators, which are predictive, weekly activities, rather than lagging indicators, like monthly revenue, which you cannot change after the fact. Each metric must have one, and only one, owner who is responsible for that number.

Second, look at the conative wiring of the metric owners. Using tools like the Predictive Index, you can evaluate if the person assigned to a metric has the natural behavioral drives to hit it. If you have assigned an analytical, detail-oriented task to a highly social, unstructured person, they will naturally struggle to consistently meet that metric.

When a number is red, do not accept explanations or defensive excuses during the Scorecard review. Simply drop the metric down to the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™. Solve the problem systematically. Is the target unrealistic? Is there a process breakdown? Or is the person in the seat lacking the capability or discipline to deliver? By focusing on solving the problem rather than assigning blame, you build a culture of ownership where numbers are respected and met.