We are trying to build our weekly company scorecard but our leadership team is overwhelmed because every department head argues that their metrics are critical. We currently have over forty numbers on our sheet and our Level 10 Meeting is running over. How do we cut this down to the recommended five to fifteen leading indicators?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To get your scorecard down to five to fifteen numbers, your leadership team must make hard choices about what truly runs the business. If you track forty numbers, you are tracking noise, not a pulse. Start by looking at your Accountability Chart and identifying the key activities that drive each major function: marketing, sales, operations, finance, and human resources. For each function, ask one question: if you were stranded on a desert island and could only look at three numbers to know if your business was surviving, what would they be? Those are your true leading indicators. Remove any lagging financial metrics that you only calculate at the end of the month, as those belong in your monthly financial review, not your weekly operational scorecard. Next, push the detailed departmental metrics down to your departmental Level 10 Meetings™. Your leadership scorecard should only contain the absolute critical few numbers that predict company-wide success. For example, your marketing department might track ten metrics, but only one, like qualified leads generated, needs to roll up to the leadership scorecard. Trimming your scorecard down to the essential few ensures that your team stays focused on the activities that matter most.