Shadow-Measure-Improve Leadership Loop
Find operational friction firsthand, measure it, and act on feedback
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
This leadership loop combines operational measurement with firsthand observation. Begin by tracking concrete service details, such as hold times and the time needed to complete a file or verification. Then leave the executive office and shadow each department to see how the workflow behaves in practice. Ask employees what is slowing them down and how the process could improve, taking useful ideas seriously regardless of where they originate. Convert repeated friction into changes, then keep measuring the same operational details to see whether the system improves. The mechanism works because leaders replace assumptions with frontline evidence, while visible responsiveness encourages people throughout the organization to keep surfacing problems and ideas.
Origin
Rogelio Goertzen II described the operating style he observed while working at UWM as it scaled. He credited Matt Ishbia's attention to process details, department shadowing, and openness to employee feedback.
Core principles
- 01Leaders need direct contact with frontline work
- 02Operational detail reveals where service breaks down
- 03Feedback from every level can improve the system
- 04Visible responsiveness makes receptiveness part of the culture
How to run it
- 1
Define operational measures
Choose concrete workflow measures such as hold time, file completion time, and verification turnaround time. Use them to make service friction visible.
Pro tip Start with measures customers and frontline staff feel directly.
- 2
Shadow the work
Observe every department involved in the workflow instead of relying only on reports. Watch where delays, handoffs, and recurring struggles appear.
Watch out Do not let executive distance substitute for firsthand observation.
- 3
Ask for frontline feedback
Ask employees what struggles they face and what would make the work better. Listen to ideas from every level of the organization.
Pro tip Make the question specific to the process being observed.
- 4
Change the process
Use recurring observations and feedback to improve the workflow. Recheck the original measures to determine whether the change removed friction.
Watch out Collecting feedback without acting on it undermines future candor.
In the wild
A lending executive tracks how long files and employment verifications take, then shadows the departments responsible for those steps. Staff reveal a slow handoff that leadership reports did not show. The executive changes the handoff and monitors the same timings afterward.
→ The team gets a measurable test of whether the process change improves turnaround time.
Common mistakes
Leading only from reports
Metrics can identify a delay but may not reveal the frontline conditions causing it. Shadowing supplies the missing context.
Dismissing junior ideas
Useful process knowledge often sits with the people doing the work. Ignoring them removes a key input from the loop.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for leaders responsible for complex, multi-department service operations.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for leaders unwilling to spend time observing frontline work or acting on candid feedback.
From the transcript
“He is over all of the details to like, how long someone's unhold, how long it takes to do a file, how long it takes…”
From the episode
He Gave Them the Plan… Nobody Executed ft. Rogelio Goertzen II
Rogelio Goertzen II