We have several metrics on our leadership Scorecard that consistently hover just below our target, never quite going deep red but also never turning green. How do we handle these borderline metrics during our Level 10 Meeting before our team becomes completely desensitized to missing targets?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Consistently missing a target by a small margin is a form of operational decay. It breeds a culture of tolerance for mediocrity. To fix this, you must treat a borderline metric with the same urgency as a deep red one. During your Level 10 Meeting, any metric that is not green is red. There is no yellow. If a target is ten and your team hits nine, it is a miss. Drop it down to the Issues List and IDS it. During the IDS process, ask two questions. First, is the target realistic? If your market or capacity has shifted, adjust the target to a level that is challenging but achievable. Second, if the target is correct, why are we consistently underperforming? A borderline metric usually indicates a process bottleneck, a resource constraint, or a team member who does not GWC their seat. Do not let your team normalize missing targets. By forcing a discussion on every miss, you maintain high standards and show your team that data integrity and operational discipline matter.