Our weekly Scorecard has become a boring checklist that our team fills out right before the Level 10 Meeting, and it rarely drives any meaningful strategic actions. How do we redesign our metrics to make them a forward-looking tool?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a Scorecard becomes a boring, reactive checklist, it is usually because you are tracking lagging indicators instead of leading indicators. Lagging indicators, like monthly revenue or closed sales, only tell you what happened in the past. To make your Scorecard an active operational tool, you must track leading indicators that predict future results. For example, instead of tracking closed deals, track the number of discovery calls scheduled or outbound proposals sent this week. If those numbers drop, you know your revenue will suffer in thirty to sixty days. This gives you the foresight to solve the issue before it impacts your bottom line. Every metric on your Scorecard must have a clear owner who is accountable for that number, and a defined goal. If a metric misses its target, it must immediately drop down to your Issues List to be resolved during the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™. If your team is simply filling out the numbers to get through the meeting, challenge them on why the numbers matter. A healthy Scorecard acts as a weekly pulse check of the entire organization. Redesign your metrics to focus on the activities that drive your business forward, and use them as an early warning system to maintain a healthy operational rhythm.