Numbers Make Us Comfortable
I was recently at one of our CEO Roundtable meetings, and the topic of "numbers" came up. Since I love numbers, this is near and dear to my heart. However, the concept of measuring, numbers, and applying them to human beings can be difficult for some. In my various conversations with clients and colleagues I have gotten a lot of different feedback, sometimes downright obstinance about tracking, sharing, and asking people to adhere to certain measured goals and activities. I'm a very visual person, so I often to have to make analogies to understand what I'm thinking and also to communicate it properly to other people. Before I share what popped into my head, one of the reasons this topic keeps coming up is because I have been trying to explain why measuring is a core component to running a successful business, and most business systems, including my favorite (EOS), wants you, as the leader, to help come up with AT LEAST one number for each employee to focus on as core deliverables in their jobs.
On this particular day we were talking about how applying various numbers to people may seem a little robotic, or could negatively impact culture. Too much scorecard, not enough "human being". In my experience I found that the more metrics I put in place, (they have to be thoughtful and accurate), the better my people performed AND the happier they seemed to be. A key component in communicating metrics to people to be open with them and tell them WHY these measurable goals will help all of us succeed. Here is my take on it:
Human beings love measurements. We are mathematical by nature, even if we don't know it. When we don't have measurements we get anxious. Think about it like this. When you get up in the morning you use a clock and an alarm - you need to know what time it is. I have a digital thermometer in my shower to set the temperature, I know exactly how hot I like my water. I have an electric toothbrush that turns off after 2 minutes. I go downstairs and have dials with numbers on my stove, a temperature gauge on my oven and on my wall. How long do I cook my breakfast if I have no idea how hot the oven is or how long I put it in there? Will it be overcooked, will I get sick because it's raw? The numbers tell me if I'm doing it right.
I look at the drive time to work to know when to leave, my car has a ton of instruments that tell me if I have enough gas, if I'm likely to get pulled over for speeding, when my car needs to be serviced, and if I'm going to be on-time for work when I get there. I could go on, and I could make very similar parallels to people flying planes or performing surgery.
Measurements are all around us at all times and we love them. They make us feel comfortable. Why? Because they allow us to free our minds to concentrate on those other items that may be more difficult to measure so they require different tactics to overcome. We would be extremely anxious if we did not have all the measurements in place because there would be so much uncertainty in our lives. In the workplace, allowing our folks to understand how their work impacts measurables, frees them to be more creative in the way they achieve those results and still know they are doing a good job and pushing the company needle in the right direction.
Too many organizations think the numbers take the people OUT of the game, but they actually make them better performing and more comfortable players IN the game. I am a first-hand witness to watching people relax and know where their target is instead of wondering if what they did was the right thing or not. The more feedback we give people to help them improve, the better. Employees want to do well, they want their companies to succeed. Trust them and help them by giving them their own sets of tools to measure their impact.
-Ryan
