We've all read about "sustainable growth". Many Management Pundits have warned us (yes, on HBR too) quite often that chasing quarterly results exclusively could lead to unpleasant things.
Chasing a metric is quite tempting. Choosing a metric to chase is far more difficult. Often, we choose and chase only those metrics that are easy to measure / understand.
This afflicts nearly everyone. Project Managers, Consultants, Sales Persons, CEOs, Governments, Non-Profits, ... the list goes on.
How many new customers? How many sales dollars?
How many Conference Speaker assignments? How many followers?
How many members? What funds collected so far?
The problem is that they actually look like the right metrics to chase. May be they are, for some.
It might be worthwhile to step back and ask: "What exactly are we trying to achieve?" and resist answering in the same terms as the metrics above. Validate that answer. Then chase that vision or goal... not the metrics.
Let the metrics be an indicator of how you are progressing towards the goal. Not become the goal by themselves.
I should perhaps give some examples. But I wonder whether "being clear" is what I want to do. Perhaps I should just let you find your path.
Sir, Dont u think these metrics and Goals both are equally important ? And until Metrics become a Goal (Short term) they wont be achieved effectively ?
ReplyDeletePS : I certainly agree that one shouldn't die suffocating in a vicious cycle
@Mayank: Your question is about "equal" importance... that's hair splitting, so let me just explain the problem.
ReplyDeleteAre metrics important? Yes, but more important than even the goals we are driving towards? No.
Knowing when we are doing this, is the tricky part. Sometimes (actually, quite often) when chasing the metrics, we could be compromising on the goals. That would be "gaming the metrics" without necessarily achieving what we set out to.