If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. But most managers measure the wrong things — or worse, measure without goals. Here's the framework that changes everything.
Put someone blindfolded in a 20-acre field — they won't run. Remove the blindfold and show them where to go — they'll sprint. That's what goals do for your team.
"A goal should scare you a little and excite you a lot. If you know exactly how to achieve it, it's probably not a stretch."
One IT department measured "speed to ticket closure." Tickets got closed fast — but customers weren't happy. The measure moved them away from their goal, not toward it.
"Lazy managers don't measure. Lazy managers think, 'oh I don't need to measure this stuff, it's just going to get better.' No. If you've done the training, you need to go back and do the measure."
Brainstorm 6 activities, 6 performance results, 6 behaviors. Then select the 6 that would tell your boss you're doing a great job. Click to select your most important measures.
The ultimate test for whether you've chosen the right measures.
You're on vacation. Bob is running things back at the office. Bob can only send you 6 numbers each week. What 6 numbers would tell you — with absolute certainty — that Bob is doing a great job?
Those 6 numbers are your key measures. Not 10. Not 20. Six.
Now ask the follow-up question: Whose goals do these numbers need to align with? Yours? Or your boss's? The answer is both — and they need to point in the same direction.
"Which road should I take? Well, where do you want to go? Well, I don't know. Well, then it doesn't matter which road you should take."
These truths feel uncomfortable — but they separate effective managers from busy ones.
"You don't need to measure every damn thing that you do. It doesn't make sense. It's unproductive." Six measures is enough. More than that creates noise.
The receptionist "smile percentage" is 100% subjective — and it works. Daily focus on anything improves it. You don't need a camera to play gotcha.
"The number of meetings doesn't scare me. The effectiveness of them is what makes them useful." Short, frequent meetings beat long, infrequent reviews.
Companies set "big hairy audacious goals" with no plan, no measures, no training. That's not stretching — that's hoping. Every stretch goal requires management.
Clarity Leads to Power
When every position has a solid positional agreement, you've got the platform for managing people really well.
Why this role exists. A paragraph that expresses the purpose — why we created it, what it exists for.
The List of 10 — results you're responsible for and activities you'll do. Paired with your 6 measures.
Not legally binding — but a commitment. "This is what I'm here to do." Manager signs too: "I won't burden you with things not on here."
"When you've got a solid positional agreement for every position in the organization, you've got the platform for managing people really well. Everybody's got clarity about what they're trying to achieve."
Don't write down everything. Write down what you're going to do. Here's where to start this week.
Write down 6 activities, 6 performance results, 6 behaviors for your role. Don't filter — just brainstorm all 18. Then select your 6.
Try It NowFrom your 18, select the 6 that would tell your boss you're doing a great job. If you were on an island, what 6 numbers would you need?
Take the TestTurn each measure into a goal with specific targets. What does "good" look like? 90%? 100%? Is it achievable? Time-bound?
Get HelpWork with an ActionCOACH to complete your 6×6×6 brainstorm, pass the Bob Test, and create the positional agreement that gives your team absolute clarity.
"If you can't measure it, you can't improve it."
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