Don’t let the wrong numbers guide you

The results you get depend on what you measure. Choose the wrong metric, and you can end up chasing numbers that don’t matter. In this issue, I’ll share why measurement matters, where it can mislead, and a few practical ways to track the things that actually move you forward.

Why Measurement Matters

Measurement focuses your attention. It gives feedback and helps you track progress instead of wandering.

But when the wrong thing gets measured, it pulls focus in the wrong direction.

You may hit the metric, but miss the outcome. That’s what made me pay closer attention to how I measure both work and results.

How to Measure Smarter

I learned that pairing quantity with quality works better than relying on a single number.

For teams, that might mean tracking both total activity and customer satisfaction.

For personal work, it might mean tracking time spent and deliverables completed.

Why?

Tracking a single number can leave you without the full picture or even worse, focused on the wrong thing.

A few steps I use: start somewhere, even with imperfect metrics.

Add them to weekly and quarterly reviews.

Pay attention to both lagging (what happened) and leading (what predicts) indicators. And be ready to adjust if a metric nudges behavior in the wrong direction.

One easy checklist:

• Write down your main goal.

• Pick one quantity metric and one quality metric that connect to that goal.

• Decide how you’ll measure and how often you’ll review.

• Run a short experiment, like 90 days, then check if behavior and results improved.

• Adjust or swap metrics if they’re steering you off track.

Extra Extra

• Harvard Business Review – Don’t Let Metrics Undermine Your Business – Explains how focusing on the wrong numbers can backfire and what to do instead.

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