Establishing Key Metrics to Rally Around

Can you imagine a basketball game without a hoop or a tennis match without sidelines? In the absence of clear goals and a way to measure progress, organized sports would be . . . disorganized. The same is true for organizations of all types—in the absence of clearly communicated metrics of organizational success, employees have no way to know if they are on track, contributing in meaningful ways, or merely spinning their wheels. To create a culture of data fluency, leaders must establish key organizational metrics that guide individual and organization efforts. This section first discusses the characteristics of a good metric and then describes specific ways that leaders can leverage metrics to drive organizational improvement.

What Makes a Good Metric?

Misaligned goals, distorted behaviors, and a misguided sense of success . . . no, we’re not referring to college graduates or politicians. We’re describing the problems caused...