In a free world, we are all free to be just the kind of idiots (I mean "perfect people", of course) we like to be.
Not your definition of perfection or hers. To each of us, just our individual, personal and intensely "right" perspective of perfection. I mean we each are free to be the perfect idiots of our choice. Free to even scorn the other perfect-but-different idiots.
Provided, we are independent enough to be really free.
As in, for example, my NGO (no, I don't really have an NGO) needs funds from this particular source, but "hey, we haven't sold our souls, you know... we are being pragmatic, looking at the larger picture, being apolitical, neutral.. " and so forth.
Now that (if) we are independent, what could we do with our freedom?
I know! We could eat up as much as we can at the buffet table, and for good measure throw away the rest (tragedy of the commons). But hey, we are free, right?
However, if we were educated (not to be confused with being literate), we would have a bit of enlightened self-interest. Not just self-interest, but enlightened (worth the emphasis) self-interest.
On that happy note, I propose that we rename all our "Education Departments" as "Literacy Departments".
I mean, who are we fooling? Though I know a few enlightened people trying to guide syllabi towards education, we are indeed chasing metrics and reaping the... benefits. The metrics are biased towards literacy. Period.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Pitfalls in chasing success
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)