Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A Best of Barry: Why a little measuring is good. A lot, maybe not so...
Some of us are data-junkies--the more the better. Numbers, numbers, numbers, etc. Others play it by feel--this feels good, that doesn't, etc.
Even a feel "player" can benefit from data once in a while. Our world is so busy that it's impossible to see where you stand accurately with customers or general business performance. A couple of valid, real numbers you can track and learn from can make all the difference. For instance, if a manufacturer can use its customer satisfaction scores to determine if it's making progress in quality construction, that's a lot better than "feeling" things are going the right direction.
Is there one or two metrics that can help you? That's the key word--"help"--because often we reject data because it doesn't "feel" like fun. Look for the measurements that you can affect, that will help you know you're on track (or maybe need some help).
A couple of metrics may just anchor you in the sea of daily craziness, too many of them will sink the boat.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
Originally posted 11/10/10
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Dear Barry LaBov, I could not agree more with what you've written here. And I can tell you so from my experience! I used to be a "feel player" for a long time, mainly because my instincts worked so well for me in many ways. But over time my business just started to go a little downhill, and those "feel" senses weren't working so well anymore. Luckily, I managed to get the right numbers guy into my company to conduct the proper metrics, and before long my company was back on track. Thank you so much for this great Barry LaBov blog post, so that others can avoid my mistakes. I appreciate all of the amazing insights you share here. Thanks, Barry LaBov!
ReplyDeleteThanks, at LaBov & Beyond, we have to do the same thing--it's seamy to feel good about where we're at. The more specifics we have, the easier our life is and the better we perform--thanks Gia,
ReplyDeleteBarry LaBov