Are Your Metrics Flying You Off Course?

Every instrument on a pilot’s dashboard is meticulously designed with a singular purpose: to ensure flight success and safety.

From high-level situational awareness—like location, altitude, and heading—to essential operational details such as fuel flow and electrical power, each gauge delivers real-time insights that guide the pilot’s decisions. There’s no wasted space in a well-designed cockpit—only precise data that matters to the mission. Unfortunately, this level of clarity isn’t always replicated in the business world.

Flying Blind: When Metrics Mislead

I’ll never forget my first day on the job with one of my all-time favorite bosses—though at that exact moment, I wasn’t sure we’d even survive the meeting. Picture this: we’re in a quarterly business review with our engineering team, and suddenly, they flash their prized engineering metrics onto the screen. Four pages crammed with what must have been font size 4, easily over a hundred metrics listed. They meticulously reviewed each metric, narrating each fluctuation up or down with a monotone precision that would put any pilot to sleep—even with the strongest coffee at hand. At one point, I wondered if this was some secret endurance test designed specifically for newcomers.

Metric Overload: A Cockpit Full of Clutter

Fast forward many years later, and I’m speaking with a seasoned business leader who proudly presents his core metric, confidently aligning it with his business mission. After a thoughtful pause, I gently pointed out that his key metric, while interesting, was as misaligned as landing gear on takeoff. Indeed, his other carefully chosen metrics were equally ineffective. They weren’t just unaligned; they didn’t even hint at whether the company was anywhere near achieving its mission. It was like flying at cruising altitude without instruments—dangerously deceptive and ultimately unhelpful.

This brought me back to that dizzying meeting filled with tiny-font metrics. Having too many metrics can be just as detrimental as having none at all. If everything is important, nothing is. It’s akin to a pilot staring at a cockpit filled with hundreds of dials, buttons, and gauges but without knowing which instruments genuinely matter for flight control. Sure, every gauge tells you something—but not all gauges keep you airborne.

Navigational Clarity: Metrics That Keep You Aloft

In a purpose-driven business, your metrics must function like critical flight instruments: clear, concise, and unquestionably linked to your destination—your mission. Metrics should directly inform whether your actions are bringing you closer to or further away from your ultimate goal. For example, at the highest altitude (your executive level), these metrics typically tie directly to revenue, profitability, or efficiency. At a slightly lower cruising altitude—let’s say the engineering team—the metrics are still mission-aligned but adjusted for their role. They’re tasked with delivering exactly what’s needed (not just what’s requested), on-time, and with high-quality, low-bug outcomes. Why? Because that’s what fuels your revenue stream and ensures cost-effective operations. These are metrics that actually matter. Anything beyond that should be treated as turbulence—occasionally notable but not critically important.

Beware of Shiny Gauges: Avoiding Metric Temptations

The challenge, of course, is resisting the temptation to measure everything just because you can. I’ve seen leaders caught up in the excitement of dashboard-building, much like amateur pilots enthralled by every shiny new dial. But each new metric you introduce consumes attention, resources, and energy—precious commodities at any altitude. Your teams should spend their valuable time actively achieving the mission, not endlessly debating insignificant fluctuations in irrelevant data.

Metrics With Purpose: Aligning Your Instruments to Mission

Think of it this way: metrics should be navigational tools that keep you on course, clearly indicating if you need to climb, dive, or maintain altitude. They shouldn’t resemble a confusing array of blinking lights, each demanding immediate attention but offering little in return. In a purpose-built business, clarity and alignment are everything. Your dashboard—your cockpit—should be clean, intuitive, and laser-focused on what truly matters.

So, are metrics bad to have? Absolutely not. The right metrics, strategically chosen and thoughtfully aligned, can elevate your business to new heights. But choose wisely—because when everything is measured, nothing matters. And if you’re staring at pages of font-size-4 metrics again, remember: just because you have instruments doesn’t mean they’re all helping you fly. Learn more about purpose driven metrics in the Built To Soar Book.

In other words, make sure your metrics actually help you soar, not just fill your cockpit with clutter.