Keeping Score in your Business

Keeping Score in your Business

The 2006 season may have been my favorite season coaching football. Our team struggled early in the season, but made a magical late season run that culminated with a Championship.  My best friend from my youth made the trip to the game and I still remember what he told me after the game.  "On the best of the best days at my work we have never poured Gatorade on each other to celebrate, never had confetti pour from the rafters.  I am jealous that you get to do this for a living"

In football, each and every week you get a very public grade.  There is a winner and a loser.  Someone else is working to defeat you, to embarrass you, to take something from you.  Even during the off-season people keep track and score recruiting efforts.  It's intense.

When you win it calls for intense celebration.  Why don't we celebrate victories the same way in business?  I'm not necessarily advocating walking through the halls showering each other with Gatorade, but would a high-five or two be so crazy? 

I believe it is because most businesses don't keep score effectively.  You may have piles of data and figures, but what exactly  is winning and what is losing?  How are you doing each week?  What happens when you win? What happens when you lose?  Does each team member have a metric that defines their part of the winning equation?  Do you clearly communicate what the expectations are for winning and losing?  Do your team members understand that actions have consequences?  That both winning and losing has repercussions?  Or is it all too gray?  What happens when you fall short?  What happens when you exceed expectations? 

In college and pro football every week half of the teams spend countless hours preparing…and still lose.  Someone else was better.  Half of the teams fail every week. It is a statistical fact.  That type of constant feedback sharpens your preparation and magnifies every detail in a way that is hard to explain unless you have lived it.  It forces you to examine every part of your program.  You lost, it says so on the scoreboard and the whole world knows it.

In your business, give some thought to clearly defining how you will keep score on a weekly basis.  Clearly define winning.  Clearly define losing.  Then, articulate expectations and celebrate victory!  Continue winning behavior.  Repeat winning performance.  Despise losing! Regroup, make changes, dig deeper, analyze, recommit and change the behavior. Find a way to get back to winning.

While 2016 is still young, find simple ways for your team members to know exactly what the score is.  Then, get your Gatorade coolers ready!