Having a compelling scorecard is important because different players play differently when they watch their scores. There is a vast difference in performance between a team that understands its lead and lag measurements. The one that recognizes its lead score is impressive compared to lag results. Now we know how lead and lag measurements help us to keep track; having them on a compelling scorecard will drive behaviour and attitude change. Suppose the lead and lag metrics are not recorded on a visual and regularly updated scoreboard, the scoreboard will fade amid the swirl. The people who are disengaged do not know the result. They become incredibly involved if they know immediately whether or not they're winning. The execution bet (because it's not yet proven) can be translated into a glaring and compelling scoreboard. The scoreboard will influence the team's performance in three distinct ways.
1. First, it visually represents the bet the team is making. They can see their action on a bet that performing these lead measures will move this lag measure (WIG - Wildly Important Goals). It's something to talk about the relationship between lead and lag measurements. Still, watching the relationship play out in real time on a visible scoreboard is different. The first step in being engaged is to believe you're playing a winning game. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly as a scoreboard.
2. The scoreboard also communicates to an individual team member that winning is important. It's not just going to talk about the goal and then return to managing the chaos. The scoreboard conveys the message clearly: "We are serious about this." It signifies that we're not just playing a winning game; however, we're playing a high-stakes game, one that is crucial.
3. It also acts as an alternative to the agitation of the turbulent. Although the WIG could be stressful while it's being discussed, it rarely will be as pressing as the daily work after the meeting has ended. The urgency of the meeting takes precedence over importance at the moment in the absence of discipline. WIGs are at an advantage for this reason. A real-time visual scoreboard showing how far you've come can help level the playing field. We must be precise about this. Visualizing data is not new to you or your team. You might think that you have a scoreboard in place, or perhaps a lot of scoreboards, stored in intricate spreadsheets on your personal computer. The data keeps being added. Most of this information comes from the lag measurements with the historical trend, forward-looking projections, and thorough financial analysis. The data is crucial and useful for you as a leader; however, your spreadsheets aren't the equivalent of an instructor's scoreboard. What we're trying to achieve when discussing the Compelling Scoreboard is quite different.
Compelling Scoreboard: You and your team will require a players' scoreboard specifically designed to motivate the players on your team to achieve success. Suppose your scoreboard is cluttered with information that only you, as the leader, know of the significance. In that case, it's an individual's game. For the best performance and engagement, you'll need a player's scoreboard that lets winning feel like an entire team's sport.
Jim Stuart stated it best: "The fundamental purpose of the scoreboard for players is to encourage players to succeed."
About the Author
Dr. Parthiban Vijay Raghavan is an expert in solving an organization's complex problems through accurate diagnosis, designing, innovation, agility, and execution excellence. He is also expertise in Decision Making Process, Leadership Communication, OD, Learning Strategies, and implementation, He is a Certified OB/OD Professional.