Two Scoreboards

October 22, 2026 • 5 min read

I sit in a lot of meetings with leaders before I speak. Leader with the sales team. Leader with the leadership team. Same thing every time. Deals. Pipeline. What closed. What’s stuck. Just going through what is out there. I mean, we have numbers to hit, right?

What most don’t talk about? Whether anyone is getting better.

They hit the number. Great. Did they grow? Nobody’s measuring that one. How do you measure it? Maybe that’s the real issue.

Let me explain.

The One You Know

The first scoreboard measures production. Revenue. New clients. Meetings. Results. All of it. Of course we have to measure that. It keeps the business humming.

You know how to drive this one. It’s probably how you got the job.

The One You Don’t

The second scoreboard measures development. Are they making better decisions? Handling the harder conversations? Helping their own people improve?

Do you really dig in with your team and what they need help with? Do you know how to be decisive? To hold them accountable. To find where the improvement needs to be? It might be right in front of you. We just don’t look for it.

Anyone can hit the number while depending on you. Can they hit it depending on themselves?

Urgent Wins. Every Time.

Something always comes up. A deal to close. A pipeline review. A fire. When’s the last time you talked with your leader about how they lead? Who they are leading?

Are they having one-on-ones? Walking the office? Challenging people to hit their goals? Calling people out when needed? Do they know how each member of their team wants to be led?

That’s a hard conversation, so we skip it. “I don’t have time right now.” Surrrrre you don’t.

And no, the quick chat in the hallway doesn’t count. That’s not development. That’s a hallway.

Development is a commitment. Whether it be busy season or not. It’s your role as the leader to make sure it still happens.

Pick One Leader

Do me a favor. Pick one leader. I’ll wait. Got them? Write their name down.

Finish this sentence: “Six months ago, they couldn’t do this consistently. Today they can.”

Be specific. Real example. Maybe they handled an underperforming employee without asking you to lead it. Did they say, “I can do this”? Owned it. Maybe they brought you a recommendation instead of a problem. Maybe someone on their team stepped up because they coached them.

Notice none of those are a sale. It’s the stuff that turns leaders into leaders of leaders. (Reread it if you didn’t get it.)

Got It? Tell Them.

If you can name the growth, say it. To them.

“Six months ago you avoided the accountability conversations. Last week you addressed one early. Got out in front of it. Followed up. I watched you do it and I LOVE it.”

Here’s what happens. They get better. They go looking for the next thing to achieve. You added confidence.

Ask what changed. Ask where they still need practice.

The great ones always have an answer. They can see things in themselves they may not be great at, but they can always get better. They want to achieve. We all need help doing it, though.

If they say, “I’m good, I’ve got it figured out.” Well, we’ve got a problem…

Can’t Name It? That’s On You.

If you can’t fill in the sentence, look in the mirror first. Have you given them real feedback?

I talked with a market exec recently. Everyone tells him he’s crushing it. Recruiting numbers. Revenue numbers. In shape. Happy. He still reached out because he wants help getting better. That’s what great looks like. That’s the difference maker. HE wants it.

Make it next quarter’s work. Choose one skill together. Define what better looks like. It’s never too late. You are never too old. You never have it all figured out. Ever. If you think you do, retire. Leave. Find something else to challenge you.

Make It Specific

My daughter had to study. I told her, “Go study.” It didn’t work. She said she didn’t know what to do. I told her to read her two pages of notes out loud. Four times. Three to five minutes each at most. That’s it.

She did it four times. Five A’s and two B’s. She just needed specifics.

“Become a better leader” is “go study.” Too vague. “Lead the next three accountability conversations and debrief each one with me.” That’s specific. Then schedule the review.

Your Move

Pick one leader. Got more than one? Pick one thing for each. Name what they’ve developed in the last three to six months. Tell them.

Then pick one thing they need to get better at and work on it together.

You’ve got this.

Ready to build a grow leaders, not just numbers?

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