When KPIs Lie

 

So, you are monitoring KPIs. That’s great. 

But it’s also a danger… because you need to see passed the numbers, too. 

Not all KPIs are directly observable or measurable. And these may be the crucial ones for your business.

So, how do you know what to measure? Let me tell you a story… 

The other day I was watching a footy game with my brother. One of the players in that game had a shoulder injury… which means statistically his numbers were awful

He didn’t tackle many people 

Didn’t score any tries. 

Rarely kicked the ball. 

And so on. 

But he was hailed as the pivotal player on the day!

Why is that? It’s because this player acted as a second coach on the field. He guided the team… made judgement calls… kept the team’s energy up. 

But none of that was reflected in his statistics. So just by looking at the numbers you’d think he had a bad game!

Business is the same. 

Listen: I’m a dashboard guy. I admit it. But even I realise that dashboards don’t capture the full picture. There are KPIs that you can’t track. 

At least, not easily. 

Take for example, “culture”. 

That’s a real tough one to track in a dashboard. 

Yes, yes I know there are tools that can give you a “culture score”. But, in my experience, that’s not going to beat the subjective interpretation you can have just by talking to people. 

By observing them work. 

By watching their faces light up in a brainstorm session. 

Or even, the sense of fulfilment they derive from a job well done. 

A great culture is obvious when you see it. Not so obvious if you dashboard it. 

Think about it.