A real strategy can’t occur unless you know what your goals and objectives are; a clear and accurate picture of the results your organization is trying to accomplish. This is how you move away from make-work projects to results-oriented focus.
Management consultant Peter Drucker says, “What gets measured gets managed.” and dare I say, that simple statement is so very very true.
Non-profits, or new businesses, tend to operate without knowing what they’re measuring. Entrepreneurial momentum and some early success can distract leaders from taking this seriously but believe me… clear, meaningful goals and objectives that can be measured, ones that are directed toward achieving your mission and vision, is where the game is won. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
The truth is, everyone is measuring something, regardless of whether it’s written down or not. Generally, that ‘something’ is the easiest, most obvious thing: sales, attendance, clicks, or what-have-you. But easiest isn’t always best—in fact, it usually isn’t.
For example, an owner of a dental office is likely tallying the number of new patients his clinic sees per month and total revenue; however, a more meaningful measure would be how much each patient spends per visit. This measure will encourage the dentist to offer more services and products they might not otherwise be thinking of.
As another example, although a church might typically shy away from measuring anything, the church board and congregation is measuring attendance and donations. This focus will lead to activities meant to bolster attendance and donations, but the question arises: Is that achieving the right mission and direction, or is it just filling seats and guilt-tripping people into giving with no real spiritual results?