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The Allred Metric:

The Allred Metric: Measuring What Really Matters

 

When I first heard Sam Allred say that he loved Mondays, I remember thinking: Is he out of his mind? Who loves Mondays? How does he do it? And, What if we all loved Mondays?

Sam’s love of Monday wasn’t presented as a leadership mantra or part of a formal training session. He just said it, casually — but with conviction. And over time, I realized it stuck with me more than most leadership frameworks I’d studied.

Fast-forward a few years, and I now recognize that how much firm members look forward to Monday morning is a simple and incredibly effective way to measure culture.

I now call it The Allred Metric, and I think about it often — not just as a leader, but as someone who works with firm leaders every day.

 

What Is the Allred Metric?

It’s one question:

How much do you look forward to Monday morning?

That’s it. No spreadsheets. No benchmarking. Just honest reflection.

The premise is simple: if your team dreads the start of the workweek, you have a culture issue.

On the other hand, if your team shows up on Monday ready to go — not out of obligation, but because they want to — you’re doing something right. You’ve created a firm culture where people feel valued, supported, and excited to contribute.

 

Why This Matters

At Upstream Academy, we work with more than 150 firms across the U.S. and Canada each year. These firms are successful. Many are top-performing. But one challenge we hear over and over, regardless of firm size or structure, is how to retain and engage great people.

That’s where The Allred Metric becomes more than a feel-good sentiment. It becomes a tool.

Looking forward to Monday is about more than job satisfaction. It reflects trust in leadership. A sense of purpose. Positive team dynamics. Personal growth. When that Monday feeling is missing, it’s usually not just one thing, it’s the culture. And that’s squarely in leadership’s hands.

 

A Legacy of Leadership

I have the privilege of leading Upstream today, but Sam built the foundation for what we do. His vision shaped the firm’s culture, its mission, and its impact on the profession.

Sam didn’t just focus on performance; he focused on people. The programs he helped design weren’t about checking boxes or hitting targets. They were about developing leaders at every level of a firm. That mindset continues to shape everything we do — from coaching and retreats to programs like HeadWaters and our Career Development Series.

The Allred Metric is a perfect example of his legacy: practical, human, and focused on what actually drives long-term success.

 

How Firm Leaders Can Use This

Here’s my challenge to you: ask your team (and yourself) this week, How much do you look forward to Monday morning?

Don’t frame it as a performance review. Just a conversation starter. See where it goes.If the answer isn’t where you want it to be, resist the urge to fix it with perks or processes. Start with curiosity. Follow The Allred Metric question with Why? That will allow you to understand what’s driving the Monday sentiment. What’s getting in the way? What’s missing from the culture? What would make Mondays more energizing?

Use the answers to guide real change, not just for morale, but for retention, productivity, and firm growth.

Measure the sentiment across the firm to determine where your firm is today. From there, implement changes and strive for a higher aggregate score in the future. Simple, yet effective.

 

Moving Forward

In a profession full of change — AI, automation, shifting client demands — it’s easy to get caught up in strategy and overlook something as basic as how your people feel about coming to work.

The Allred Metric brings us back to center.

Because if your people dread Mondays, everything else is just noise. And if they look forward to Monday — you’re building the kind of firm the future of accounting needs.

 

What’s your team’s Monday score?

At Upstream, we believe culture is built one Monday at a time. The Allred Metric is a simple, powerful way to measure what actually matters.

Let us know what you hear. We’re listening. And if you need help changing that score, reach out.

 

Jeremy Clopton

Managing Director
Have questions about leading your team with intention in 2025?
I’d love to hear from you.  Feel free to email me directly at [email protected].
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