Organizations like to know where they stand.
How far they have come. How fast they’re going. Where they’re lagging and where they can improve.
The goal is to get better results.
Then we introduce Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Then we chase KPIs. Our target changes from getting actual results to getting KPIs done.
And we feel trapped.
Not only because KPIs are solely objective in nature. The problem goes deeper than that.
KPIs are similar to bullet points of a story. The story has nuances. We miss out on the nuances by only focusing on bullet points. But, that is not the real problem.
The real problem is the premise of commitment. To create great products, services or interventions we need committed people. People who are committed to the mission, not the KPIs.
When our people are committed to the mission, they care.
That changes everything. For better.
The following illustration shows that the red spots are just outlines. The outlines that we generally focus on.
The dark area is where the nuances lie. The ones where we should focus on.
We need to understand we’re part of the wave, not the wave.