We suspect our department heads are sandbagging their weekly scorecard targets to ensure their columns always show green, which makes our scorecard look great but leaves our growth flat. How do we establish targets that push our team?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Sandbagging is a natural human defense mechanism when employees fear that red numbers will lead to punishment. If your scorecard is completely green but your revenue is flat and your operations are sluggish, your targets are too low and your team is playing it safe.

To fix this, you must change how your leadership team views red numbers. A red number is not a failure, it is an early warning system. Explain to your team that if everything is green, your targets are not aggressive enough to drive growth. A healthy scorecard should typically have about twenty percent of its metrics in the red at any given time because you are pushing the envelope.

Work with your department heads to set scorecard targets based on your quarterly Rocks and your V/TO® goals. Use historical performance data from your Value Gap Assessment to set benchmarks. If your sales team averaged ten discovery calls a week last quarter, setting the new target at ten is sandbagging. Set the target to twelve or fifteen, and align it with the capacity of your systems. When the team misses the target, do not punish them. Instead, use IDS® to identify what operational support or training they need to hit the higher standard.