Why your employees should have metrics they own
This video and the article is part of a series of exercises taken from the ResultMaps workshop, “How to Accelerate Results with Accountability + Ownership."
By incorporating 90-second practices and daily summaries into your system, employees can provide visibility without experiencing micromanagement concerns. The emphasis is on creating a transparent environment, enabling leaders to diagnose accountability issues or blockers effectively. This practice prevents the need for chasing individuals for follow-ups, contrasting with the limitations of relying solely on conversations. In effect, your company has a system for effectively addressing emerging gaps, even if you’re in a high-change environment. This is the power of team-wide accountability.
Another powerful strategy to enhance accountability is granting individuals ownership of specific metrics on the scoreboard.
This direct link between personal actions and company value creation fosters motivation and alignment. For example, imagine a customer success role wherein focusing on retention and referrals can transform the team's energy and priorities. Assigning ownership of scoreboard metrics is a delicate balance, requiring alignment with meaningful business outcomes. It is essential to avoid vanity metrics, and instead tie metrics directly to profitability.
The iterative nature of accountability processes ensures rapid learning cycles, minimizing misunderstandings and aligning team priorities. Building rapport and shared understanding reduces the frequency of addressing gaps over time. Allowing the "next column" in weekly dashboards to creep provides a valuable tool for managing resource constraints. This prioritized list encourages accelerated progress and aids leaders in gauging the team's capacity realistically. Balancing acceleration with accountability, this approach ensures sustained growth and efficiency in managing tasks and objectives.