The 5 Biggest Mistakes When Creating an EOS Scorecard
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Creating an effective EOS© Scorecard is one of the best things you can do to keep your business on track, but if you’re not careful, it’s easy to make some common mistakes that can derail your efforts. The EOS© Scorecard is a critical tool to measure your business's health, track key metrics, and spot potential problems early—but only if it’s done right. When used incorrectly, it can lead to confusion, wasted time, and missed opportunities to address issues before they escalate. In this post, we’ll explore the top 5 mistakes people make when creating an EOS© Scorecard, backed by real-life stories from different industries. These examples will show you just how easily things can go wrong and how to avoid them.
1. Tracking Too Many Metrics
It’s tempting to track everything, especially when you're trying to capture every angle of your business’s performance. However, including too many metrics on your EOS© Scorecard can dilute your focus and make it harder to see the real story behind your numbers. If your Scorecard is full of irrelevant or secondary metrics, you won’t be able to pinpoint where the actual issues lie.
A Story
At a rapidly growing creative marketing agency, the leadership team decided to track a laundry list of metrics: number of social media posts, website traffic, sales calls, client feedback scores, employee satisfaction, number of new leads, conversion rates, content engagement, email open rates... and the list went on. While these numbers were all important to some degree, the agency quickly found that keeping track of them all was overwhelming. Teams spent more time updating the Scorecard than analyzing what it actually meant. As a result, they couldn’t identify trends or focus on the key issues that would help the business grow.
After reviewing the Scorecard, they decided to focus on just 10 core metrics: lead conversion rates, client retention, and revenue per client. By narrowing down their focus, the leadership team gained better clarity on which areas of the business needed attention. They could now respond to issues proactively and identify real opportunities for growth, rather than just tracking busy work.
Lesson Learned: Avoid the mistake of tracking too many metrics. Stick to the key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive results and provide clear insights into the health of your business.
2. Focusing on Lagging Indicators Instead of Leading Ones
Many businesses default to tracking lagging indicators—metrics that show what happened in the past—like monthly revenue, profit, or client churn. While these are important for understanding the end results, they don’t offer much help when you need to predict or influence future performance. An EOS© Scorecard should be focused on leading indicators, which give you early signs of where things are headed, so you can act before problems get out of hand.
A Story
A brand and design agency was tracking revenue and client satisfaction scores on their EOS© Scorecard, but these were all lagging indicators. While important, they only provided information after a project was completed or a sale was made. The agency noticed that, toward the end of the quarter, they were missing their revenue targets and scrambling to close deals. They felt like they were always “catching up.”
The issue became clear when the agency started tracking leading indicators, like the number of new proposals sent and the number of client meetings scheduled each week. By focusing on these numbers, the team could predict future revenue and adjust their sales strategy before things fell behind. They were able to intervene earlier, ensuring projects were aligned with clients' expectations and proposals were on target, which ultimately helped them hit their goals.
Lesson Learned: Shift your focus from lagging indicators like revenue and profit to leading indicators like sales calls, proposals, and pipeline activity. This gives you a chance to adjust your strategy before it’s too late.
3. Not Setting Clear Targets for Each Metric
A major mistake many businesses make is tracking metrics without clearly defined targets. Without targets, metrics are just numbers—they don’t give you any context for what’s considered "good" or "bad." It’s crucial to set specific, measurable goals for each key metric so that your team knows exactly what success looks like.
A Story
A construction company was diligently tracking metrics like project completion rates, client satisfaction scores, and safety incidents, but they were not setting clear targets for any of them. Over time, the leadership team noticed that although they were meeting some goals, other areas—like safety and project timelines—were slipping. But because there was no clear benchmark for what "acceptable" performance looked like, the team didn’t realize how bad things had gotten until it was too late.
When the company set specific targets—such as completing projects on time 90% of the time and reducing safety incidents by 20%—they saw immediate improvements. By clearly defining what success looked like, the team could stay focused and make sure everyone was aligned with the company’s goals.
Lesson Learned: Always set clear, specific targets for each metric. This not only provides clarity but also gives your team something tangible to aim for.
4. Failing to Update the Scorecard Regularly
Creating an EOS© Scorecard is one thing, but updating it regularly is another. The Scorecard is only effective if you keep it current. Many companies fail to update their Scorecard weekly, which can cause the information to become outdated and irrelevant, making it harder to track progress and respond to problems in real-time.
A Story
A consulting business created a solid EOS© Scorecard to track the number of new clients, hours billed, and project completion timelines. But over time, they found themselves updating the Scorecard only once a month instead of weekly. As a result, the data was often stale by the time they reviewed it during meetings, and they couldn’t quickly address issues like a backlog of work or the loss of a key client.
Once the team committed to updating the Scorecard weekly, they saw immediate benefits. With fresher data, they were able to spot trends—like a drop in billable hours or a decline in client meetings—and take action before those issues turned into bigger problems. The weekly check-ins helped them stay on track and meet client expectations.
Lesson Learned: Make it a non-negotiable habit to update your EOS© Scorecard weekly. Fresh, up-to-date data is essential for identifying problems early and staying on top of your goals.
5. Ignoring the Root Causes of Underperforming Metrics
It’s easy to glance at a metric that’s off-track and assume it’s just a temporary issue. However, ignoring the root causes of underperforming metrics can lead to recurring problems that drag down your business over time. The EOS© Scorecard is not just about tracking numbers—it’s about understanding what’s causing those numbers to move in the right or wrong direction.
A Story
At a professional services firm, the leadership team noticed that their client satisfaction scores were consistently lower than expected. Instead of digging deeper to understand why this was happening, they just tweaked their survey questions or made superficial changes to their service offerings. The problem, however, was that their consultants were overworked and often missed deadlines. As a result, clients felt neglected, even though the firm was technically delivering the work.
When the team took a step back and looked at the root cause of their dissatisfaction scores, they realized that the issue wasn’t the service itself but the internal processes. They restructured their workflow, hired additional staff, and improved communication with clients. The result? Their satisfaction scores improved, and so did their client retention.
Lesson Learned: Don’t just look at the numbers—dig into the root causes of underperformance. Fixing the real problem will have a much bigger impact than simply addressing the symptom.
The EOS© Scorecard is a powerful tool, but it’s only effective if you avoid these common mistakes. By focusing on the right metrics, setting clear targets, updating your data regularly, and identifying the root causes of problems, you’ll set your business up for success. Remember: the goal is to use the EOS© Scorecard to gain clarity, take action, and drive performance, not to drown in numbers or make knee-jerk decisions based on incomplete information.
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