Management & Measurement vs Coaching & Scorekeeping

If we look at most business dashboarding systems, even those that claim to be scorekeeping, we find that they are more measurement than scorekeeping. This is important because research shows us that people absolutely hate being measured. Conversely, we love keeping score! Think of most any sport or game you enjoy. Scorekeeping is essential to engage us and tell us how we are doing compared to a standard, a competitor, or even our own past performances.

We like being bossed or managed even less than measurement; however, that is exactly what our own business language tells us we do. The Title Manager, Supervisor, or Boss, convey the wrong message. Does anyone like being managed, supervised, or bossed around? Of course, not; but just changing management titles in an organization will only frustrate your front-line employees and set your managers up for failure.

Gallup tells us that ALL employees want a Coach not a Boss. Easy to say, but how do we accomplish this in an overloaded work environment? Without some kind of transformational bridge, our people are doomed to repeat the same bad modeling they have seen their whole business lives. To understand how to make scorekeeping out of measurement, and coaching out of management, your team needs the right principles, tools, and skillsets necessary to transform themselves into a new kind of leader/coach.

Companies that align Vision, Strategy, and People produce 300% higher Customer Satisfaction scores, 58% faster Revenue Growth, are 72% more Profitable, and have 147% higher Earning Per Share than companies who follow current models.

The question is how do we catapult ourselves from our current outcomes to the future outcomes we so desperately desire? As a business community, there are a few strikes against us. Gallup tell us that 82% of our current managers lack the skills necessary to even become a coach. They also state that 66% of managers are not aligned to their company’s vision. What is a Company Executive to do? If you could identify the 8 of 10 managers who lack the skills, could you fire them all and start over again? Not likely! The resultant time, cost, and chaos could sink the whole enterprise.

However, there is good news even with all those gloomy numbers. The basic skills necessary to become a good coach (Leader) are developable skills, so don’t lament your hiring decisions! Given the right understanding, a solution can be customized to your unique business.

The ability to turn data into scorekeeping has a few, concrete principles. For instance, we tend to count things that are easy to count and then we think these will have an impact on our business. Einstein said, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts”! So, look for the ratio of numbers that tells everyone what a WIN looks like! Also, we tend to look for data to show us where mistakes are made. This leads to “Whack-a-Mole” Management. Negative Feedback creates Negative Engagement. We don’t create great performances by only correcting poor ones. There are a myriad of ways to do things wrong. Align the positive things you want to accomplish with the ability and capability of the individual and team, and you will be starting on the right track.

Think of how your management team will feel when they realize that you are investing in them; In their success! The transformation from Manager to Coach and from Measurement to Scorekeeping takes less than a quarter. We put our money where our mouth is, as we guarantee all partnerships with a 200% ROI. The real value to you and your company is that you will have an entire team of Business Coaches who will help you transform a new corporate culture, with higher employee engagement, and increased earnings!