{"id":355,"date":"2008-06-12T11:29:04","date_gmt":"2008-06-12T10:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progmanager.wordpress.com\/?p=355"},"modified":"2008-06-12T11:29:04","modified_gmt":"2008-06-12T10:29:04","slug":"what-gets-measured-gets-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2008\/06\/12\/what-gets-measured-gets-done\/","title":{"rendered":"What Gets Measured Gets Done"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the title of blog post by Jim Estill over at CEO Blog – Time Leadership<\/a>.\u00a0 And as Wally Bock<\/a> says this is ‘one of those hoary old management sayings that hangs around because it’s both true and useful’.<\/p>\n

Interestingly in the main body of the post Jim changes the saying slightly to:<\/p>\n

What gets tracked <\/strong>and measured gets done.<\/p>\n

The addition of this one word makes a massive difference.\u00a0 The truism leads to poor management because it often gets put into practice as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What can be measured (objectively) that appears to be a reasonable proxy for what we want to get done?<\/li>\n
  2. Let’s measure it and then hope we will get the important things done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    However many of the ‘important things’ are difficult to objectify and measure.\u00a0 But they can usually be tracked.<\/p>\n

    Take for example this core value:<\/p>\n

    ‘We challenge complacency and the second rate and embrace change’<\/p>\n

    My guess is that it would not ‘get measured’.\u00a0 My second guess is that it would rarely be tracked.\u00a0 And my third guess is that it would therefore rarely get done!<\/p>\n

    So how might it be tracked to see if it does get done?<\/p>\n

    By asking regularly (in 121s perhaps…) questions like:<\/p>\n

    ‘Have you found yourself putting any of our core values in to practice this week?’<\/p>\n

    ‘Which ones?’<\/p>\n

    ‘How did they help or hinder your progress?’<\/p>\n

    we can regularly track core values and are far more likely to get all team members thinking about how they live the values (or not) in their day to day work.\u00a0 We can track which are being used to shape practice and decision making and which ones aren’t.\u00a0 Can you imagine the impact on equality and diversity in your organisation if every employee was asked regularly:<\/p>\n

    How has your work, this week, lived our value of ‘welcoming people\u2019s differences’.<\/p>\n

    Or have you found any situations this week where living this value was difficult?<\/p>\n

    So revisit the mission, vision, values, principles and objectives of your organisation and ask yourself:<\/p>\n