At Barrel Holdings, we’ve been spending time building out a CEO Scorecard to help evaluate and develop our agency leaders. Our scorecard hits on predictable qualities like communication, holding the team accountable to results, and financial savvy. As we refine the scorecard, I’ve found it helpful to look in other areas for inspiration. Professional football, with its high stakes environment and advanced performance measurement, is fertile ground to mine for inspiration.
In the NFL, teams have evolved beyond traditional metrics like total yardage and completion percentages to focus on deeper, situational stats that better reflect a quarterback’s ability to win games (check out this discussion between podcast host Ryen Russilo and former player/TV analyst Greg Olsen).
Metrics such as third-down conversion rates, red-zone efficiency, and performance under pressure have replaced traditional metrics in evaluating quarterbacks. These stats reveal how a quarterback handles adversity, makes critical decisions, and ultimately drives the team forward. You see this week in and week out with top tier players like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow.
Could a similar approach be applied to evaluating agency CEOs? Could we make the argument that just as a QB’s ability to thrive in high-pressure situations often defines their value, a CEO’s performance during crises, key decision points, and moments of opportunity separates the exceptional from the average?
The Deceptiveness of Traditional Metrics
Take passing yards. A quarterback can rack up 150 yards in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss as they desperately try to come back—numbers that look great on paper but don’t mean much. Similarly, an agency CEO might boast about top-line revenue, or is that growth driven by low-margin projects and poor-fit clients, while client churn erodes the foundation? The real test isn’t the superficial stats; it’s what happens when things aren’t going smoothly.
While revenue spikes and headline numbers can be encouraging, they don’t always reflect long-term sustainability. By adopting a situational lens—focusing on retention, adaptability, and decision-making under pressure—could we, like in the NFL, get a clearer sense of which leaders are truly driving success?
Translating QB Metrics to Agency Leadership
Elite quarterbacks convert third downs, thrive under pressure, and execute in the red zone. These are modern-day metrics that are used to judge QBs.
Agency CEOs face similar moments that determine success or failure. Here’s a crack at translating such metrics to a business setting and we might go about measuring them:
1. Critical Decision-Making (Third Down Conversions)
When it’s crunch time and the agency is facing budget cuts or an underperforming team, can the CEO make the tough call that keeps the company moving forward? The ability to reallocate resources, pivot on services, or make a key hire (or fire) often separates good CEOs from great ones.
Potential ways to measure: Track key decisions over a set period, noting the outcomes and their long-term impact on profitability, growth, or client satisfaction. Conduct post-mortems on major decisions to assess effectiveness.
2. Crisis Response (Two-Minute Drill)
A CEO’s performance during crises—whether it’s losing a major client or navigating unforeseen market shifts—can reveal their true leadership capacity. By tracking how quickly and effectively they respond, we can identify the leaders who are capable of steering the agency through turbulent times.
Potential ways to measure: Document response timelines and resolution strategies for each crisis. Survey key stakeholders afterward to gauge confidence and satisfaction with the handling of the situation.
3. Handling Pressure (Blitz Situations)
Economic downturns, a competitor poaching key clients, or employee turnover—these are the agency-equivalent blitzes. We believe a CEO who can stay composed, rally the team, and deliver during these moments is someone who adds long-term value to the agency.
Potential ways to measure: Analyze retention rates during high-pressure periods and track client satisfaction. Measure team morale through pulse surveys and observe operational stability during challenging times.
4. Balanced Leadership (System Mastery & Improvisation)
The top quarterbacks play within the system but know when to improvise. Great agency CEOs need that same balance—following strategic plans while adapting to changing client needs and market conditions.
Potential ways to measure: Compare planned strategic initiatives against actual pivots or adjustments. Evaluate how often improvisations lead to positive outcomes such as new client wins, reduced costs, or operational efficiencies.
5. Red-Zone Efficiency (Closing Big Deals)
Winning agencies don’t falter when they have a chance to win. CEOs who consistently close high-value clients, expand key accounts, and land marquee partnerships demonstrate the kind of leadership that drives meaningful growth. This is an area we recognize as crucial for long-term success.
Potential ways to measure: Track conversion rates of high-value proposals, monitor win rates in competitive pitches, and evaluate growth from existing accounts over time.
The CEO Scorecard Summary
If we were to build a simple scorecard for evaluating agency CEOs inspired by NFL QB play, it’d look something like this:
Critical Decision Success Rate: How often do high-stakes decisions lead to positive outcomes?
Crisis Turnaround Time: How quickly can the CEO resolve emergencies?
Retention Under Pressure: Employee and client retention during tough times.
Adaptive Pivot Success: How well do pivots translate to retained revenue or growth?
High-Value Close Rate: How often does the CEO close major deals or partnerships?
When you get to the core of it, the best quarterbacks are measured not by total passing yards but by clutch performance that lead to wins. One could argue that the same holds true for business leaders. As we look at our agency leaders, shifting focus to how CEOs handle pressure, close big deals, and lead through challenging moments could provide additional layers of insightful evaluation data and highlight valuable performance.
Note: This wasn’t my first time making a football to business analogy. Check out this post and this post from a while back.