If you’ve ever set up a leaderboard for an internal contest and watched motivation nosedive after week one, you know the pain. Done right, leaderboards can light a fire under people; done wrong, they’re either ignored or they just make folks roll their eyes. This guide is for managers, HR, or anyone using Bunchball to run internal competitions and wants leaderboards that people actually care about—without the drama or the busywork.
Let’s skip the fluff and get into what actually works.
Step 1: Get Clear on the Why Before You Touch Bunchball
Before you start fiddling with settings, ask yourself: What’s the real point of this competition? Is it to boost sales calls, encourage knowledge sharing, or just make things a bit more fun? If you can’t answer in one sentence, your leaderboard’s going to confuse people.
What actually works: - Tie it to a real goal. “Increase weekly product demos by 20%” beats “be more engaged.” - Keep it positive. Don’t design something that shames people at the bottom. That kills motivation faster than a Monday morning meeting. - Make participation worthwhile. Recognition or a small reward works—no need for Vegas-level prizes.
What to ignore:
Fancy leaderboard features won’t save a competition with a vague goal. Don’t get sucked into configuration rabbit holes before you nail the basics.
Step 2: Choose the Right Metrics (and Ignore the Rest)
What you measure gets attention—so pick wisely. Bunchball will let you track almost anything, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Stick to: - Actions that matter. If you want more peer recognition, measure “kudos sent” or “helpful answers posted.” - Numbers people can influence. Don’t use metrics like “team revenue” if only one person can really move the needle. - Transparent calculations. If people can’t understand how points are earned, expect eye rolls and suspicion.
Pro tip:
Avoid “vanity metrics” like logins or clicks. People figure out quickly when the leaderboard is just counting busywork.
Step 3: Set Up Your Leaderboard in Bunchball
Once you’ve decided what you actually want to track, here’s how to build your leaderboard in Bunchball:
-
Log in and get to the admin console.
Don’t overthink permissions—start with your own team or a pilot group. -
Create a new leaderboard.
Use the “Leaderboard” or “Challenge” module, depending on what your version calls it. -
Define your metric(s).
- Pick the activity or action you want to rank.
- Choose the date range (weekly, monthly, etc.).
-
Set up how points are awarded—keep it simple.
-
Decide who can see what.
- Most teams do best with “show top 10” or “everyone can see their own rank.”
-
Avoid the “full public shame” approach unless you want disengagement.
-
Test with a few dummy users.
- Make sure points tally up as expected.
-
Check that the leaderboard updates in real time (or as close as Bunchball allows).
-
Go live.
- Announce the competition.
- Set a clear end date and communicate how people can track their progress.
Don’t bother with:
- Over-customizing the look and feel—people care way more about fair scoring than snazzy graphics.
- Setting up more than two or three metrics. The more complicated, the faster people lose interest.
Step 4: Make It Fair (and Avoid the “Usual Suspects” Problem)
Everyone’s seen leaderboards where the same three people always win. That’s demoralizing for everyone else.
Ways to keep things fair: - Reset scores regularly. Weekly or monthly resets give everyone a shot. - Try team-based leaderboards. Mix up the teams each round to keep things fresh. - Cap points. Put a reasonable daily or weekly limit so one person can’t dominate with sheer volume.
What doesn’t work:
- “Lifetime points” leaderboards. These just make new folks feel like there’s no point in trying.
- Secret algorithms. If you have to explain it with a slide deck, it’s too complicated.
Step 5: Keep Up Momentum (Without Nagging)
A leaderboard is only as good as the energy behind it. Here’s how to keep people engaged without becoming a pest:
- Send periodic updates. Weekly emails or Slack posts with top movers or surprise fun facts (“Biggest Leap This Week: Jane, jumping 6 spots!”).
- Celebrate small wins. Shoutouts for anyone who breaks into the top 10 or beats their personal best.
- Rotate the challenge. Change up the activity every month or so—otherwise people get leaderboard fatigue.
Quick tip:
Don’t spam. If every update feels like a thinly veiled guilt trip, people will start ignoring you and the leaderboard.
Step 6: Review and Adjust—Don’t “Set and Forget”
After the first round, step back and ask: - Did participation go up? - Are the same people always at the top? - Did anyone game the system (e.g., spamming low-value actions just to rack up points)?
If you see issues: - Adjust the scoring rules (e.g., more points for quality, less for quantity). - Ask for feedback. People will tell you what feels fair or pointless—if you actually listen.
Skip:
Overanalyzing minor dips. Not every competition will be a home run, and that’s fine.
Step 7: Don’t Forget Privacy and Opt-Outs
Not everyone wants their name up in lights, even internally. Respect that.
- Allow aliases or anonymized rankings for anyone who asks.
- Let people opt out if they really don’t want to participate—forced fun isn’t fun.
One thing to ignore:
Don’t assume everyone’s motivated by public competition. Some just want to do good work. That’s okay.
Honest Takes: What Actually Moves the Needle
- Simple, fair rules beat fancy features every time.
- Reset leaderboards often. The “always-on” approach just creates burnout.
- Give more public recognition than material rewards. Bragging rights often work better than another Amazon gift card.
- Don’t use leaderboards to “fix culture” or paper over deeper problems. If morale’s bad, a widget in Bunchball won’t save you.
Keep It Simple. Iterate as You Go.
If you take nothing else away: Start small, make it fair, and listen to feedback. Bunchball has a lot of knobs and dials, but most of them won’t matter unless the basics are solid. Launch your leaderboard, see what actually happens in the real world, and tweak as you go. That’s how you end up with a competition people care about—and maybe even have a little fun along the way.