Stop Coaching the Scoreboard

September 17, 2026 • 5 min read

When I ask leaders how things are going, I get the same answer.

They tell me the revenue, the end result. What they hit, what they didn't. What's sitting in the pipeline. Almost never do they tell me what they actually did to get there. That’s the problem, you can’t coach a result. You can coach the activity that creates it.

Results come with it.

More Data, Less Clarity

We have more dashboards, reports, more numbers than ever. We have it on our phones our desks, everywhere. More information doesn’t create clarity. Knowing which number drives results does. Most top performers can tell you the one or two things that, when they do them, everything else takes care of itself.

Lagging Numbers vs. Leading Numbers

A lagging number tells you what already happened: revenue, new clients, new premium. It’s the scoreboard.

A leading number is what got you there: appointments set, prospecting conversations, referrals asked for, proposals delivered.

You can’t change last month’s revenue. You can change today’s activity. That’s the game.

Why Leaders Default to Results

That’s what we’re judged on. Revenue, growth, production. It rolls downhill so it’s what we talk about. Guess what though, telling someone “you need to produce more” isn’t coaching. Your team already knows they need better results. What they really need is help identifying the activity that creates it.

Set a Minimum Activity Standards

Early in my career, my number was 10 reaches a week, 10 conversations with decision makers, no matter what. This was the thing. Some weeks no one said yes. Some weeks four did. Didn’t matter. What mattered was I knew exactly what I needed to work on: verbiage, closing, who I was talking to, moving them to an appointment. I could do that.

If you don’t know your minimum you’re guessing. Guessing is not a strategy.

Change the Conversation

Instead of “you’re behind this month, pick it up,” try: What’s in the way? What do we need help with? How many conversations have you had, and how can I help you get to five? That’s the coaching version. It gets to the same place, just from the front end instead of the back end.

Coach the In. The Out Follows.

John Wooden never talked about the final score. He talked about tying shoes, running ladders, doing the basics. The practice that produced the score. Same in sales. Your team can’t directly control revenue. They can control activity, mindset and the calendar. That’s it. Coach the consistency of those, the results follow.

Build them by knowing what to build. Not just by guessing. You have an opportunity to develop them into something special. Don’t be that leader that just does it this way because that’s all you have ever known.

We are here to help.

Ready to build the activity that drives your results?

Book your call: DNAcall.com

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