From goals to metric specs, leading signals, North Star design, incentive traps, and review meetings that actually decide something.
- 1 From goal to metric (the chain) Most metric fights are unfinished goal conversations in disguise. Walk the chain from objective to behavior to measure to target so your next KPI becomes a decision tool, not another dashboard tile that nobody can act on.
- 2 Leading vs lagging indicators Lagging metrics tell you who won last month. Leading metrics tell you what to coach this week. Pair both with one sales example so your scorecard guides action early instead of only reporting outcomes after the window closes.
- 3 Definitions and metric specs A metric without a written definition is a rumor with a chart. Use a one-page spec covering owner, grain, formula, filters, and caveats so two people can rebuild the same number on Monday without a Slack archaeology session.
- 4 North Star vs team scorecards A North Star focuses the company; team scorecards run the work. Learn when one metric is too few, when a KPI wall is too many, and how to build a simple stack of crown metric, inputs, guardrails, and local cards.
- 5 Gaming, Goodhart, and unintended incentives When a measure becomes a target, people optimize the number instead of the mission. Learn Goodhart and Campbell in plain English, common gaming patterns, and how to pair metrics, specs, and incentives so your KPIs stay honest.
- 6 Review cadence that works Weekly and monthly metric meetings fail when they become status theater. Learn a simple cadence, pre-reads, exceptions-only agendas, and decision logs, plus a full series recap of Metrics that matter from Parts 1 through 6.