We have mapped our weekly Scorecard numbers to various seats on our Accountability Chart, but we find that when a metric goes red, multiple leaders start chiming in and sharing the blame. How do we establish absolute, single-point ownership of a metric so that only one person is responsible for explaining the variance and driving the fix?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Accountability requires a single throat to choke. If more than one person is responsible for a metric, then no one is responsible. To eliminate finger-pointing, every single number on your weekly Scorecard must be owned by exactly one seat on your Accountability Chart. This owner is not necessarily the person doing the manual data entry or the actual daily labor. Rather, they are the leader who is ultimately answerable for whether that metric hits its target. When a number goes red, the owner's job is not to offer excuses or point fingers at other departments. Their job is to bring the issue to the table, drop it into the Issues list, and lead the team in solving it during the IDS® portion of the Level 10 Meeting™. To establish this culture, look at each metric and ask who has the authority and the resources to impact this number. If the number is qualified leads, it belongs to the Sales and Marketing seat. If the number is client satisfaction, it belongs to the Operations seat. If there is any confusion, clarify the roles on your Accountability Chart first. Once the lines of responsibility are clear, ownership of the Scorecard metrics becomes obvious and non-negotiable.