Hey DOGE: Forget 5 Bullet Points—Here’s How to Actually Measure Performance

An excellent executive scorecard isn’t just a report, but an innovative way to optimize your company’s performance.

DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency is in the headlines this week for its latest performance management tactic: asking federal employees to email 5 bullet points on their accomplishments each week, or risk termination. According to the BBC, “employees were asked to respond [to the email] explaining their accomplishments from the past week in five bullet points – without disclosing classified information.”

As an expert in performance management, I’m here to tell you that crafting a meaningful performance strategy for employees—in particular for executives—is a bit more complicated than a weekly list of accomplishments.

One tool I like to use instead is an executive scorecard. An excellent executive scorecard isn’t just a report—it’s a tool for driving strategic execution, fostering collaboration, and enabling continuous improvement. When done well, it clarifies leadership expectations and ensures that executive efforts directly contribute to the company’s success.

I’ve worked with many leadership teams to design effective executive scorecards, and the same challenge always arises—how do you measure what matters? As a founder, CEO, and strategy coach, I’ve seen scorecards transform performance management by focusing executives on the right priorities, fostering accountability, and aligning their efforts with company goals.

Here are five steps you can take to design a winning executive scorecard:

1. Strategic alignment: connecting executive performance to organizational goals

An executive scorecard must be closely tied to the company’s overarching strategy. Without this connection, leadership efforts risk becoming siloed, misaligned, or focused on the wrong objectives. The best scorecards translate high-level corporate goals into measurable executive responsibilities that provide a clear line of sight between strategy and execution.

For example, if a company’s priority is expanding market share, an executive’s scorecard might include responsibilities such as identifying new markets, improving customer acquisition, or launching competitive pricing strategies. These specific objectives help ensure that leadership’s actions drive meaningful business outcomes. Without this alignment, executives may focus on metrics that look good on paper but fail to advance long-term goals.

2. Collaborative development: building buy-in and ownership

A scorecard is only effective if executives believe in it. The best scorecards are developed through open collaboration, ensuring that leadership has a voice in defining success metrics. When executives contribute to creating their scorecards, they take greater ownership of their performance and feel invested in achieving the outlined goals.

This process should involve discussions between executives and their superiors to refine key performance indicators and ensure they are relevant, challenging, and aligned with company and individual success. The best scorecards strike a balance—structured enough to provide clear expectations but flexible sufficient to allow for leadership autonomy. When executives participate in crafting their own scorecards, they engage more deeply in their work and embrace accountability more naturally.

3. Balanced metrics and targets: measuring what matters most

A strong executive scorecard includes a mix of quantitative and qualitative measures. Revenue, profitability, and cost control are critical, but leadership effectiveness, innovation, and team development also play essential roles in long-term success.

Leading indicators, such as pipeline growth or employee engagement scores, help predict future success, while lagging indicators, like revenue growth or market share, measure past performance. By balancing both, companies gain a clearer picture of an executive’s impact.

A three-tier target system—red, green, and super green—adds another layer of effectiveness. This approach sets a baseline expectation, an optimal goal, and an outstanding stretch target. Executives should aim for green, while super green is an aspirational benchmark. A system like this helps drive motivation without setting unrealistic expectations. The key is ensuring that every chosen metric directly contributes to the organization’s success.

4. Dynamic review and adaptation: ensuring ongoing relevance

Business conditions change, and executive scorecards must evolve accordingly. A scorecard that remains static for too long loses its value, which is why it’s essential to review and update it quarterly. Regular adjustments ensure that metrics reflect shifts in business priorities, market conditions, and strategic direction.

For instance, if a company’s competitive landscape shifts mid-year, leadership objectives may need to pivot from market expansion to customer retention. Without a structured review process, executives may continue working toward outdated targets, wasting time and resources. Scorecards should be integrated into strategic planning meetings, providing a framework for adjusting goals while focusing on execution.

5. Continuous feedback and integration: driving performance improvement

A scorecard shouldn’t be a static document pulled out once a quarter for review. The most effective organizations use them as active performance management tools. Regular one-on-one meetings between executives and superiors allow ongoing discussions about performance, progress, and adjustments.

These meetings create immediate feedback and coaching opportunities, allowing executives to course-correct before minor issues become significant problems. Additionally, scorecards help inform leadership development and succession planning. They identify strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring that executives receive the proper support to grow in their roles.

When used effectively, executive scorecards also play a critical role in hiring. Organizations establish clear success metrics from day one by integrating scorecard expectations into new executive onboarding. This transparency helps new leaders acclimate quickly and align their efforts with company objectives.

At their core, executive scorecards are not just performance-tracking tools but strategic enablers. A well-crafted scorecard provides clarity, alignment, and accountability, ensuring that leadership efforts drive meaningful business impact. The best companies don’t use scorecards as rigid evaluation mechanisms but as evolving tools that help leadership teams excel, adapt, and continuously improve.