Peter Drucker famously said, "What gets measured gets managed." Can we all agree, that was so 1956.
Today, with the help of smart televisions, personal technology assistants, and even social media metrics on "F@cebook for business" (aka LinkedIn), we can measure things that were unheard of in 1956. We track clicks, likes, reposts...I can even comment on a post from a "colleague" in India or Australia who I have not only never met, but who doesn't even exist!
Bringing our conversation back into focus and up to date, here in 2025, measuring and managing is all the rave. President Elect Trump (45/47) has proposed a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. AI companies across the globe have marketed their tool's capability to automate measures, which should, in theory, optimize management. But does it?
Here's the thing, Servant Leader. With over 600,000 registered "GovCon" companies in the US (some successful, some not so successful), they can't all be measuring the right things, else wouldn't they all be successful?
Herein lies the challenge. If we truly only manage what we measure, then why are we still measuring performance?
"What did you do today?"
"How many proposals did you submit this year?"
"How often do you meet with your customer?"
"How many Helpdesk tickets did you respond to within a day? Two hours? Immediately?"
You see, Servant Leader, in measuring performance, I'm reminded of Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church about useless measures.
For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. (2 Cor 10:12, NKJV)
This simple instruction clears the way for more meaningful measures - not of performance (against which we are measuring ourselves by ourselves) but of impact. Servant Leader, Paul was more interested in measuring the Corinthian Church's growth in Christ - their impact on His kingdom - over their piety or activity. That same mentality can benefit any company in today's business climate.
Instead of asking what an employee did today, ask how today's activities will inform tomorrow's schedule, or how today's activities will improve the company's position moving forward.
Instead of asking how many proposals were submitted, or even how many we won, ask how many new employees we added to the company's base, how much margin was checked off the stretch goal, or how lessons learned will improve the next proposal cycle.
Instead of asking how often someone meets with their customer, ask instead what actionable information from the customer has increased pWin or given rise to realized organic growth.
And instead of asking about Helpdesk volume, ask what percentage of those calls resolved the customer's concerns the first time, without the need for additional support or follow-up help.
In other words, Servant Leader, instead of measuring yourself against yourself, which Paul calls "not wise," measure yourself against the impact you have on the future. That's true wisdom for 2025, built on the foundation of 1956. (Or if you prefer, 35 AD.)
