Live by the “Inner Scorecard”

Warren Buffet is worth $116 billion. Nick Saban has won 7 national titles. Both live by the “Inner Scorecard.”

Here’s what it is + how you can use it.

There are 2 ways to measure success:

• Outer Scorecards & Inner Scorecards

Most people use one. The best use the other. Let’s break them down.?

The Outer Scorecard, this is how most measure success:

? Fame, Money, Status, Influence, Accolades, Recognition, Achievement

It’s based on extrinsic motivation. The Outer Scorecard is fickle. It’s defined by what the world thinks. The problem is it’s outcome-focused. Outcomes are mostly out of your control. Playing by this scorecard is a fool’s game.

The Inner Scorecard, this is how the BEST measure success:

? Effort, Values, Principles, Standards, Excellence, Commitment, Performance

It’s based on intrinsic motivation. The Inner Scorecard is reliable. It’s defined only by what you think. Its beauty is that it is process-focused. The process is all within your control. The best play by this scorecard.

The Inner Scorecard has simple principles:

? Live in the present

? Focus on the process

? Ignore all external voices

? Perform to your standard

? Forget about the outcome

Nothing else matters.

The Inner Scorecard concept is usually credited to Warren Buffett. Buffett’s dad taught it to him, and the billionaire has lived his life by it.

The Inner Scorecard is now popular in sports and business. @AlabamaFTBL coach Nick Saban is the best college football coach of all time. He runs his program by it. (He calls it “scoreboard.” Same thing).

So we know what the Inner Scorecard is. They key question now, how do you develop one for your life?

It’s highly individual, it’s much more art than science but these 3 questions will guide you:

1. What are my core values??Your values drive your behavior. Your behavior drives the Inner Scorecard. Examples of values: Courage, Integrity, Service, Ownership.Your values can be almost anything. Clarifying them is a good first step.
2. What is my personal standard??We all need to decide, “Are we good with ‘good enough?’” Or do we want to maximize our potential? Your standards guide your Inner Scorecard.
3. How good do I want to be? Good. Great. Your best. Which one is it? How you answer will influence your scorecard.

Let’s say you sell cars.?

Outer Scorecard examples: Make $350,000 this year, Win top salesperson award, Get promoted

Inner Scorecard examples: Improve sales skills every day, Obsess over every customer, Make each sales call great

Let’s say you’re a startup CEO.

Outer Scorecard examples: Raise $50 million, Be on Forbes 40 under 40, Win “best new startup” award

Inner Scorecard examples: Make your pitch amazing, Build a fantastic business, Relentlessly execute every day

To recap, there are 2 ways to measure success. The Inner Scorecard is intrinsic. The Outer Scorecard is extrinsic. The best live by an Inner Scorecard.

How you measure success will largely determine how successful you’ll be. Hope you found this as valuable as I did when I saw it on Twitter.

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