Be Careful What You Optimize For
The results you get often come down to what you choose to measure. Focus on the wrong metric, and you risk chasing numbers that don’t really matter.
I’ll share why this happens, the classic examples that show it in action, and a few simple ways to pick metrics that actually move you closer to your real goals.
What you measure is what you’ll get results for.
Why measurement matters—and why it can mislead
Measurement is powerful. It focuses attention, creates feedback loops, and helps you track progress instead of wandering. But when the wrong thing is in the spotlight, focus can backfire.
If you only measure a slightly wonky metric, people (including you) will optimize for that metric—sometimes at the expense of the real goal. That’s not always catastrophic, but it can lead to unintended consequences over time.
Two everyday examples
Call-center style: measure call length, get short calls
If a call center only tracks call length, staff will optimize for the shortest calls. That might lower costs, but it can also reduce the quality of support and customer satisfaction.
Personal productivity: tracking hours instead of outcomes
I’ve seen the same thing with personal productivity. When you track hours worked, you can end up busy without being effective. Six hours on a project sounds impressive until you ask: what’s the actual outcome?
How to avoid the trap: combine quantity and quality
This is where a little thoughtfulness goes a long way. Instead of a single, blunt metric, combine indicators that capture both output and outcome.
- For teams: track total activity (quantity) and customer satisfaction or deals closed (quality).
- For personal work: track time-boxed efforts (time-bound tasks) and deliverables or milestones achieved.
- Weight metrics if needed—they’re not always equal. Some things matter more than others.
Practical steps I use (and recommend)
Here’s what worked for me when I started thinking more carefully about metrics for a business I’m involved with:
- Start somewhere. Even imperfect metrics teach you something you didn’t know.
- Schedule regular reviews—add metrics to your weekly review and a deeper look in your quarterly review.
- Look for lagging vs leading indicators. Lagging metrics tell you what happened; leading metrics help you predict and change direction sooner.
- Be ready to adjust. If a metric nudges behavior in the wrong direction, tweak it or add a balancing metric.
A short, usable checklist
- Write down your high-level goal (outcome).
- Pick one quantity metric and one quality metric that both link to that outcome.
- Decide how you’ll measure each and how often you’ll review them.
- Time-box experiments (e.g., 90 days) and then evaluate—did behavior and results improve?
- Adjust weights or swap metrics if they create unwanted side effects.
How to think about SMART goals here
When possible, make metrics part of SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. For example, instead of “spend more time on marketing,” try “run three outreach campaigns this quarter and measure leads generated + conversion rate.”
Final thoughts—small adjustments, big payoffs
Measuring and optimizing is not the enemy. Thoughtless measurement is. A few minutes of upfront thinking—pairing quantity with quality, scheduling reviews, and being willing to adapt—will save you from chasing the wrong outcomes.
Try this: pick one area you’re tracking this week. Ask yourself: “Is this metric moving me toward the goal I actually care about?” If the answer is no, change it. If the answer is yes, keep iterating.
