“I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on my way.”
– Carl Sandburg (1878 – 1967), American poet, writer and editor
The Diff was off Monday, out of respect for an American hero, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, reflecting on the day, I got to wondering, “Are we making progress?” As a middle-aged, white male, it’s not for me to posit on progress in the area of civil rights. I have friends of color who would say both that we’ve come a long way and that we have a long, long way to go. As we assess progress on this critical social matter, there’s a business corollary, too.
We owe it to ourselves to know how we’ll measure progress, day-to-day, week-to-week toward even our biggest, most hairy and most audacious goals.
So, unlike Sandurg, we’re called to know where we’re going (have a plan / targets / etc.), and to decide how we’ll measure our progress.
First, we need objective measurements. Did we sell more? Did we spend less? Did we add to our pipeline? Did we win business from a competitor? Did we create a new client from a new, untapped market? These questions have concrete, yes-or-no answers, and we can attach real numbers to the yes or the no.
We also need to use subjective measurements. Does it feel right? Are we playing, winning and / or losing the “right way?” Are our families proud of the work we do? Are our shareholders pleased with not only the return, but the reputation we’re earning? Are our best people staying with us and growing in their roles? Are we attracting the kind of talent we want to, and are we building a “great place to work?”
Either list could be almost limitless. The key is for us to know what we’re going to measure, how we’re going to measure it and how often, so that “on our way” actually means progress.
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