How do I stop my sales or operations teams from gaming their weekly scorecard metrics to make themselves look good?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When employees start gaming the scorecard, it's usually because you are tracking the wrong metrics or measuring volume without measuring quality. If you tell a salesperson they are judged solely on "outbound calls made," they will make 100 useless calls to dial tones to hit their target.

To stop the gaming, you must pair your quantity metrics with quality or outcome-based counter-metrics. For instance, pair "Outbound Calls" with "Demos Scheduled." Pair "Invoices Sent" with "Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)."

Additionally, leverage Kolbe Index insights to look at how your team solves problems. A team member with a high Follow Thru instinct naturally craves systems and structured processes, which can be harnessed to build clean, un-gamable tracking pipelines. If someone is constantly manipulating the numbers, it is a GWC™ issue. They either do not respect the core values of transparency and integrity, or they are in the wrong seat. In your Level 10 Meeting™, call out the behavior directly. Let them know that a realistic red metric that we can IDS® is infinitely more valuable to the leadership team than a fabricated green metric that masks a sinking ship.