While we’re on a roll with the 4 Disciplines of Execution, let’s circle back and talk a bit more about the Lead vs. Lag Measures.
This is an important concept to get. It’s basically another way to frame the whole systems vs. goals and process vs. outcomes discussions we have.
So, again, our LAG measure is the goal we want to achieve. It’s super important to know that we don’t have control over this variable. We can INFLUENCE it but we can’t absolutely determine it.
Imagine a professional golfer. Their lag goal is to score well enough to win the tournament. Fantastic. But… Focusing on THAT is not going to lead to the outcome they want. In fact, that’s a good recipe to choke.
Now, the LEAD measure is so powerful because a) It’s within our direct control and b) It’s what actually creates the results we want.
Back to our professional golfer. They want to get clear on the behaviors that, when they do them, give the highest chance of success. Then, they want to KEEP TRACK OF how frequently they execute THOSE things.
In Finding Your Zone, peak performance guru Michael Lardon tells us that he has golfers keep TWO scorecards. One for the lag measure or actual score on the hole. And the other (much more important card!) for whether or not they executed their process before each shot.
So…
What do your two scorecards look like?
