CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

What’s the Score?

So many of us ask this question during the game or some version of it at the end of the game. Human nature drives most of us to measure wins and losses. By no means am I simplifying into only wins and losses, but knowing the score when it matters helps us lead, manage, and hold others accountable.

In continuing my theme and using the EOS framework, we find ourselves in the data component. Contextually, when we can use a set of numbers that allow us to make objective, informed decisions in place of emotional ones, we are better equipped to drive aligned decision-making for the good of the business and the vision. When a business is healthy, it uses a weekly scorecard to measure those key objectives that keep the company moving closer to its plan instead of further away. Everyone on the team owns a number so that we can keep score and the leader can step in to clear the road if a teammate is missing the goal. When the scorecard is exceptional, decisions can be made on objective evidence instead of gut feel and emotion. Who hasn’t walked out on the floor and seen an empty die cutter, only to go back into the office and tell estimating to lower the level on all die-cut business until it is full, only to find a backlog-slammed die cutter next month running low-margin jobs? That’s emotion over information. When everyone in your organization has a number, that’s creating a measurable. Whether it’s sheets through the press, scrap per day, designs completed, etc., measuring what’s important to your business provides support to people’s ability to drive success.

As you continue to work on your business, these scorecards and measurables will change, improve, and adjust. This is not meant to be a one-and-done approach to setting objectives to measure results but a dynamic part of an evolving business. When you begin to consider what to measure, take a moment to think about cause and effect as well. As an example, revenue growth in the sales function maybe doesn’t work with a scorecard metric of revenue (the effect) that comes because of 15 cold calls per week (the cause) that will ultimately result in the outcome you seek. In any event, sitting with your leadership to identify and incorporate a weekly scorecard where each member of the team owns a metric will set you on the course of an objective tool to lead, manage, and hold others accountable.

This is an exciting issue with some wonderful content on how equipment is evolving in our industry with the continued boom in e-commerce, along with many great insights—from the Emerging Leader perspective to the evolution of the sales landscape—we know you will enjoy.

Gene Marino Executive Vice President, Akers Packaging Service Group Chairman, AICC