Our team members start explaining their numbers the second they are red, dragging our Scorecard review past fifteen minutes. How do we train them to shut up, say the number, and drop it down to IDS?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The Scorecard review in your weekly Level 10 Meeting is strictly for reporting data, not for explaining it. The moment someone starts a sentence with, well, the reason that number is red is because, you must cut them off. As the Integrator or the meeting leader, your job is to enforce this discipline ruthlessly. The only acceptable response to a red metric is to state the actual number, acknowledge that it missed the target, and decide whether it needs to be dropped down to the IDS section of your agenda. To achieve a sub-five-minute review, train your team to use a simple three-word phrase when their metric is red: red, drop it. This signals that they acknowledge the miss and want it placed on the Issues List. Do not allow them to defend their performance or tell a story about why the week was challenging. If a number is red but they already have a fix in progress that will make it green next week, they can say, red, drop it, but we have a plan. That is it. No further explanation is permitted during the review phase. By keeping the review phase entirely observational, you protect the valuable time needed for actual problem-solving later in the meeting. This discipline prevents the meeting from devolving into a defensive blame game and ensures that you only spend time discussing issues that truly require the collective brainpower of the leadership team. Keep your focus on keeping the meeting moving.