Discipline 2
The How
Act on the Lead Measures
Embedded Files
Discipline 1 - Lag Measures - The What
In Discipline 1, you and your team analyzed what you ultimately wanted to achieve and what point you would need to hit to feel you reached success (the finish line or the Y). These goals are considered lag measures because the action or performance (the how) to achieve them has already passed.
Discipline 2 - Lead Measures - The How
In Discipline 2, you and your team will focus on how you are going to achieve your goals. These actions are called lead measures because they are predictive and track your progress toward reaching your goal or lag measure. While these lead measures are directly influenced by the team, they can be more difficult to measure. Think of a lead measure as a lever: a lever must move a lot in order to move the lag measure a little. In Discipline 2, you are looking for what actions will move the lag measure the most and help you reach your goals.
Step 1: Brainstorm and Create an Expansive List of Potential Lead Measures
Step 1: Brainstorm and Create an Expansive List of Potential Lead Measures
Now that you know what you want to achieve, think about all the different ways to achieve it
Stay focused on actions that directly impact the RIO/WIG
Avoid spiraling into a general discussion
Avoid “good to do” general discussion; focus on the RIO/WIG
Step 1: Questions to Ask
Q: What actions can you take that will change or influence the RIO/WIG?
Q: What have we never done before that we could do to make an impact?
Q: What team strengths can you leverage to help you achieve the RIO/WIG?
Q: What weaknesses or barriers can we identify that will keep us from achieving success?
Q: How do we overcome or avoid those weaknesses or barriers?
Step 2: Organize and Categorize the List
Step 2: Organize and Categorize the List
Group ideas into like-minded categories
For example, some ideas involve:
Changing processes
Redirecting advertising messages
Improving customer service quality
Identify common themes
Common themes may help you identify stronger focus areas
Order: Narrow and Test or Test and Narrow - they both work!
Depending on the quantity of lead measures brainstormed, you can either narrow your lead measures down first or test your lead measures first. Whatever works best for you and your team.
Step 3: Test your Ideas
Step 3: Test your Ideas
Step 3: Questions to Ask:
Q: Is it predictive of where the lead measure will move?
Q: Can you measure the success of the action?
Q: Will this action influence the lead measure?
Q: Is this an ongoing process or a one and done action?
Q: Is this a team game instead of simply being a leaders game?
Q: Is this action worth doing and measuring?
Step 4: Rank and Filter Out Ideas
Step 4: Rank and Filter Out Ideas
Select 2-3 lead measures that you can focus on right now
Rank the best ideas
Filter out ideas that will not work at the moment
Save other ideas for later
Pick lead measures that are predictive and influenceable
Look for how the team can move the lag measure
Step 5: Format the Lead Measures
Step 5: Format the Lead Measures
Think about word choice
Find the right balance:
Do not sacrifice quality for quantity
Consistency and quality together yield greatest results
Step 5: Questions to Ask:
Q: Specific Focus - what specific area are you trying to influence?
Q: Verbs - what actions will you take?
Q: Audience - who will this action affect?
Q: Consistency - how often will this action occur? What are your per day/week/month goals as far as timing?
Q: Quality - what qualitative outcomes do we want to achieve? (for example, do we want it to be clear? Fun? motivating)
Q: How will we do it? What efforts can we make to achieve both consistency and quality in our actions?
Step 6: Create your formatted lead measures
Step 6: Create your formatted lead measures
Choose the verbiage you plan to use
Remember, the goal is to focus on 2-3 lead measures
Please note: you can change it as you get more involved in the process to more accurately meet your team needs
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