We have a few crucial metrics on our Scorecard that are shared by two departments, and as a result, nobody takes real ownership when they go red. How do we assign a single owner on the Accountability Chart when multiple leaders influence the outcome?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Shared ownership is a recipe for zero accountability. If two people own a Scorecard metric, nobody owns it. When the number goes red, both leaders will point fingers at external factors or at each other. To fix this, look directly at your Accountability Chart. Every metric on your Scorecard must map to a single seat. Even if multiple departments influence a number, only one person can hold the ultimate accountability for the result. For example, customer acquisition cost is influenced by both marketing and sales. However, the head of marketing must own the metric because they control the budget and lead generation channels that drive the cost. The sales leader is responsible for converting those leads, which has a separate metric like close rate. If you have a metric that feels shared, break it down into its component parts until you can assign clear, individual ownership. The owner is not necessarily the person doing the manual labor to update the spreadsheet, but they are the one who must answer for the red number during the Level 10 Meeting and drive the IDS process to solve it.