Our leadership team members frequently want to change their weekly Scorecard metrics or adjust their targets during the Level 10 Meeting™ because they missed their goals, which destroys our historical data and consistency. How do we establish a strict rule for when a metric can be modified versus when a team member simply has to own a red number?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Allowing leadership team members to constantly change their weekly Scorecard metrics or adjust targets mid-quarter because they missed a goal is a recipe for operational chaos. It destroys the historical data you need to identify long-term trends and masks underlying performance issues. If you change the rules of the game every time you are losing, you will never build a predictable business. You must establish a strict rule: Scorecard metrics and targets are locked in at the beginning of each quarter during your quarterly planning session. Once set, they cannot be altered mid-quarter simply because a number is red. Red numbers are not a personal failure or a reason to panic; they are simply data. A red number is an early warning indicator that tells the team an issue needs to be placed on the Issues List and IDSed. The only acceptable reason to change a metric mid-quarter is if the metric itself is proven to be completely inaccurate or no longer tracks a key activity. Even then, the change must be approved by the entire leadership team, not just the seat holder. By holding the line on metric consistency, you force the team to confront reality and solve the root causes of their performance issues.