What Get's Measured Improves!

Today I am going to explain the reasoning behind one of the easiest to implement but potentially life challenging tools available to improve everything you are doing.

 

“What gets measured, gets improved” is a phrase recognised by management theorists Peter Drucke, originally designed for corporate use but can be applied to everyday life. 

 

Think back to your younger life in school and try to remember how many times you were graded, or measured or marked and that information was reported back to you. It was far more than just your grades right? Little Jimmy has X grades, Y attendances, Z punctuality and S holidays. Everything was measured!

 

And for some of you (hopefully) that will be the same for work, KPI’s or Key Performance Indicators are used within businesses to measure how successful that time period was.

 

Why? Because what gets measured, gets improved. Whether it be simply holding you accountable to a certain standard or level of performance, this allown can improve your performance. How do you know if you maintain a certain standard if it's not been measured. Therefore how do you know whether you need to keep it the same or whether you can improve on it (trick question you can always improve). Without the data there’s no way of holding yourself accountable to it.

 

If we peel it back a layer still, simply measuring data and certain outcomes and not acting upon them will help. Just measuring them will routinely draw that information to your consciousness and next time you make a decision may play more of a part in the decision making process. I am X weight today and know deep down in my heart of hearts i could do with losing a pound or two, should i buy that snack from the vending machine or not. 

 

Without that conscious reminder in the morning that decision making process is a very different one, would you agree?

 

That's why with every client we measure key performance indicators that are scientifically backed showing that when improved the client feels and functions better leading to an increase in health and quality of life. Without the data in the consultation how can we categorically prove the care we have provided has improved the clients’ function. Simple answer we can’t. It would be subjective improvements in symptoms and feeling but with no objective proof. I have gone from 8/10 pain to 3/10 therefore i must be better, is a wishy washy measure of improvement, especially when we know the intensity and location of pain has no relevance to the level of tissue damage. 

 

But in contrast if we have 10 tests and data points that measure different factors which contribute to good or poor health taken both pre and post intervention. Not only do we have the subjective i feel less pain, and can now do X and Y but we have data that supports that. 

For example when you were exerpicneing symptoms and didn't have the quality of life you wanting you you tested as a 2/10, now 6 months on yu feel great, you’re doing all the things you want you to day in day out, feeling healthy sleeping well etc, AND are now testing as a 7/10. Doesn't that paint a very different picture of how your health has improved. 

 

So whether it be your weight, sleep quality, blood pressure, energy levels etc start to routinely measure it once per week or more if you like and watch how your decision making naturally changes to positively impact your measured outcome.