Measuring What Matters: Outputs Vs. Outcomes

Focusing too much on how much. Many companies measure success based on how many things they can build. For tech companies, it's features, for factories, it's widgets.

Outputs matter, but only as the means to an end. The outcome of our outputs is the point, not the outputs themselves.

Happy customers, profitability, growth - these are the things we care about. Delivering your quota and delivering it on time is great...but was any value delivered? Did we actually move forward? Work for work's sake doesn't help anyone.

When we fixate on outputs, we trick ourselves into feeling good. In the short-term, we feel progress being able to check off our to-do list, but over time we fall behind. We lose sight of our goals.

This happens in our personal lives too. If we want to learn more, the number of books we read don't matter. Our understanding of the content does.

Measure yourself against things that matter. Outcomes, not outputs.

Comments

The Art of Giving Feedback

Constructive feedback is an awkward affair. You don't want hurt feelings, but recognize the importance of honesty. You've tried the classic "hoping things will get better on its own" and unfortunately it hasn't played out. When giving feedback, here are a few things that I try to keep it mind. Start with empathy. Step into their shoes and understand their story. If you don't know, ask. Be genuinely curious. Feedback is a dynamic affair. Shared communication with a shared goal towards progress. Take the emotion out of it. Focus on the situation, not the person. Focusing on the person adds unnecessary weight to an already emotionally-bloated event. Be specific. Give clear examples. Vague feedback equals dismissed feedback. Doing above won't de-awkward things fully, but it will dampen it and increase the chance of better outcomes.

ELI5: The Stock Market

Today we get back to basics and answer some of the most common questions about the stock market.

Step One is Knowing

In school, we listen to our teachers. At home, our parents. Throughout our childhood, following instructions is praised and rewarded. When we're young, there's value in this. We don't understand how the world works quite yet, so guidance can be lifesaving. The bias to just accept obviously has drawbacks. Insert old jumping off a bridge adage . This conditioning is especially strong for kids from lower income households. Their parents are more likely in working class jobs involving strict order-taking. Parents of middle-class households tend to be knowledge workers where influence is essential. Studies have shown kids from middle-income households are more willing to negotiable with their teachers. They learn from their parents that things are not set in stone. This leads to better grades and learning outcomes when compared to their lower income counterparts who don't negotiable. In business, if we simply accept things as they are, we would never innovate. In work, w

Herman Ye

Search