I don’t think that everything can be measured. But I do think that far more can be measurable than most people realize. And I also think there’s a pervasive tendency of people to try to define success around things that they aren’t willing to do the work to measure.
Here’s what I don’t like: Throwing resources into a hole. And if you commit juice to a task without knowing how to measure the results, that’s what you’re doing.
What’s the easiest way to avoid this? Don’t make your mission objective an action. Make your mission objective a result. People do the reverse all the time! “My goal is to start a non-profit to advance this agenda.” That’s a silly mission! What’s the result you want? What does it actually look like for that agenda to be advanced?
Call it SMART goals, call it OKRs, whatever framework you want to use – aim for a result, people. Not just something to do.
The Opportunity Machine 