measure to make goals powerful

 measure to make goals powerful:

if you're reluctant to define your goals in measurable terms, consider these four steps:

1) Measuring creates awareness. If you regularly count something,
you tend to keep it in mind. So if you’re working on a new habit, coming up with a metric will help you to keep on the path.

2) Quantity can lead to quality. When you regularly count your

steps, you’re likely to take more of them. My favourite book about the power of practice is Geoff Colvin’s Talent is Overrated. Colvin examined research about “what really separates world-class performers from everybody else.” He concluded that great performers—whether in music, sports, or business—are the ones who practice intensely. Quantity does always produce quality, but often the more times you do something, the more you learn. And when learning is involved, quantity does lead to quality.

3) Measurement helps build self-control. “If you can measure

it, you can manage it.” That quote is often attributed to

management guru Peter Drucker, but his take on measurement

in the workplace was actually more nuanced. In his great

book Management, he wrote of the danger that measurement

“could be used to control people from the outside and above—

that is, to dominate them.” He suggested that the better use of measurement is to “make self-control possible.” Drucker

thought metrics should be used by every manager “to appraise

his own skill and performance and to work systematically on

improving himself.”

4) Measurement can replace micromanagement. I've seen many situations where managers want to delegate but can’t seem to do it. Sometimes they hover annoyingly over a project because they want a better sense of how it’s going. But when the manager and the project leader are able to come up with the right metrics, suddenly the problem disappears. A good measurement and reporting system can create transparency. That makes it easier both to solve problems and to recognize progress.