I am trying to step out of the business, but during our Level 10 Meeting, my team members keep trying to dump underperforming Scorecard metrics back into my lap under the guise of strategic guidance. How do I maintain a hard line on metric accountability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic trap for owners preparing for a clean exit. Your team members are comfortable with you carrying the ultimate operational weight. When their Scorecard metrics drop into the red, their default instinct is to seek your strategic guidance as a way to dilute their own accountability and pass the responsibility back to you.

To stop this, you must hold a hard line on the Accountability Chart. Every single metric on your weekly Scorecard must have one, and only one, owner who is responsible for keeping that number in the green.

During the Level 10 Meeting™, if a department head says their metric is off track and asks for your advice, do not provide the answer. Instead, the facilitator must drop that metric down to the Issues List.

When you reach that item in IDS®, the metric owner must present their proposed plan to fix the number before anyone else speaks. They must show that they GWC™, meaning they get it, want it, and have the capacity to own the solution.

Your role as an owner in transition is not to solve the problem for them, but to ask clarifying questions that guide them to their own solution. Use phrases like, "What does your plan look like to get this back on track by next week?" or "What options have you already explored?" If they cannot solve it, it is a structure or seat issue on the Accountability Chart, not an invitation for you to jump back into operations.