By Phil Harwood

College football is back! As a Michigan native, I learned at an early age that you were either going to be a Michigan State Spartan or a Michigan Wolverine fan. The annual in-state rivalry is just one of the reasons that makes fall an exciting season, filled with optimism and hope for a winning season - or a national championship. In football, the score is what determines a win versus a loss. The score is what matters the most. A win is a win, no matter how ugly or how bad the officiating was. 

As you may know, I’m a Michigan State Alumnus, earning both a Bachelor of Arts degree and Masters of Business Administration degree from the school on the banks of the Red Cedar. Last season, our head football coach was fired in disgrace and our season fell apart after starting 2-0 before his firing. Our new head coach appears to be a great fit and Spartan Nation is excited, as evidenced by a sell-out crowd for our season opener. We won but had 125 penalty yards. It was an ugly win. But a win is a win. We’re 1-0. The score matters. 

Imagine a football game where only the head coach knows the score and he doesn’t ever share it with any of the players, not even after the game is over. The players are expected to trust the coach because he knows best. Meanwhile, the players are expected to go out and do their best. How motivated do you think those players would be? How likely are they to give their best effort? 

And yet, many businesses operate without sharing the score with their employees. Surprisingly, some businesses don’t keep score at all. Why is this? Why would a business - or a manager - intentionally keep their employees in the dark when it comes to something so important as what the score is and whether they are winning or losing? Do they not realize the impact it has on motivation and performance? Are their internal systems so broken that they can’t figure out what the score is? Or are they just heartless task masters who just don’t care. 

When the team knows what the score is, they know if they are winning or losing and the team can make adjustments. These adjustments are often made at half-time, when the team takes a break, has a chance to reflect, and make some changes. With knowledge of the score, the coaching staff is equipped to make changes and the players will be more supportive of those changes because they also can see the score. 

Operating a business is filled with challenges. Nobody said it was going to be easy. And not all businesses survive. But a business will be in a much better position to survive - and win - if they know what the score is and the score is shared among their team. 

Did you know that GrowTheBench has a course designed just for this topic. The course is titled, “Keeping Score” and is available at GrowTheBench.com. If you are not currently a subscriber, shoot me an email at Phil@GrowTheBench.com for a free 30-day trial subscription. If you choose to continue after the 30-day trial period, your team will have 10 seats for only $97 per month. 

Now go forth.