Dump Others' Metrics

Leaders often mistake visible signals-headcount, titles, flashy events-for real progress. The article shows how senior leaders hire more engineers and managers just to impress outsiders, then spend weeks manufacturing work to keep the expanded team occupied.

That performative hiring creates layers of process and management that slow decision-making and drain morale. Teams end up working on tasks that exist only to fill time, while the original business problems remain unsolved. The cost is not just financial; it fuels burnout and erodes the joy of building.

Instead of adopting the industry's applause meter, the author asks leaders to build a personal scorecard. Ask yourself whether a goal would still matter if you couldn't brag about it, and whether achieving it alone would make you feel fulfilled. This reflective filter cuts out vanity metrics and redirects energy toward work that truly matters.

The author's own metrics are simple: impact and self-growth. Impact is measured by the tangible improvements clients see after a engagement, not by the logos on a slide deck. Self-growth is tracked by the new skills and challenges tackled each quarter, ensuring the leader continues to learn as they help others.

The final call is clear: stop dumping other people's metrics and construct a scoreboard that makes your team dangerous and your customers grateful. When you measure what truly counts, you eliminate wasted effort and create lasting value for both yourself and the organization.