Let the measure serve the work

Career · Little Light original

The number looks better this month. More calls answered, more tasks closed, more messages sent. Then someone mentions that customers are calling back because their questions were never resolved. The team has worked hard. The measure has rewarded an incomplete version of the work. It takes courage to interrupt a favourable report with that observation. Everyone would like the improvement to be real, especially the people who earned it. But a target is useful because of what it helps you see. When it starts hiding something important, you can change the conversation. What happened for the person you intended to help? What did reaching this number require people to neglect? You can appreciate the effort and still examine the result. Leadership includes protecting the purpose of the work from the measures used to manage it. A more honest account gives good people a better chance to spend their effort where it matters.

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