Yesterday, I talked about how we can innovate in the pursuit of low carbon materials by being less prescriptive in building codes (and beyond) and measuring materials based on their performance instead (e.g. strength, durability). This allows new materials or new ways of producing materials to emerge.
Well, our next chapter could benefit from this distinction in other ways too.
For example, when remote work for ‘knowledge workers’ started to become more common, and especially during the pandemic of course, managers had to confront the idea that they couldn’t just measure an employee’s commitment via the number of hours they’re in the office. Performance-based metrics (e.g. accomplishing a project with a certain level of quality) was more effective than trying to monitor when the employee was logged in.
Of course, this was always true. Taking note of an employee’s hours in the office or the amount of time they’re on the computer was never the best way to assess effectiveness, but it was an easy metric, so most bosses subscribed to it, at least to some degree. It’s why the 40-hour week is still a general requirement.
It’s also true that performance-based metrics are harder to create and assess. Often they’re less tangible and it requires more attention on the part of the manager. In order to properly understand an employee’s performance, a supervisor has to know what ‘good’ work looks like and has to be able to clearly communicate what is expected. It puts more burden on the higher ups.
I can’t help but think this is a good thing. Arbitrary measurements of success don’t help anyone and can make an organization ‘lazy’ in terms of helping to elevate all employees including managers.
It’s the old adage of quality over quantity in many cases.
We intuitively know this, but it’s so much easier to base a decision on a number rather than an outcome. I think we’re even seeing this in our kids and in college applications and so on. The number of extra curricular activities is something that is valued on teenager’s applications to higher education. This is nuts. We think of this metric as a substitute for being ‘well-rounded’. But of course, there are other ways we can assess a student’s likelihood of thriving in a college environment (and where they may need extra support….which is also the job of colleges). The pressure to ‘pad’ a resume for teens is burning them out, and conversely reducing their ability to pursue one or two things they love with their full attention.
In reading ‘Digital Minimalism’ by Cal Newport recently, and in paying attention to some of the tiny house movement and other discussions of minimalism, it also strikes me that none of it is best-measured by the sheer number of minutes or hours online, or the specific number of square feet of your house, or the number of outfits you have in your closet. It is ALL about creating more quality of life: less stuff to worry about, but more outfits you love to wear, less house to clean and maintain, but super functional spaces to serve your lifestyle, less mindless scrolling, but more deliberate engagement in online activities that support your work or social life.
These are all performance-based ways of measuring our lives, our happiness, our work, and whether we’re thriving or not. Which sort of strikes me as the point.
The exceptions where I can see prescriptive measures having value is when you’re starting a new habit, or training, or needing to celebrate small wins. Sometimes just checking off that you got to the gym this week (instead of a more performance-based fitness goal), or that you practiced piano for 20 minutes (instead of a more performance-based skill goal), or whether you make it to bed on time (instead of a more performance-based personal energy goal), or whether you get your top three items done is the first step (instead of a more performance-based productivity goal). The little things are still not the ultimate goal but as James Clear says in his book ‘Atomic Habits’: “A habit has to be built before it can be improved.”
In this sense, small wins are really important, and sometimes you’ve just got to allow yourself to check a box! As long we realize our small wins are taking us to somewhere deeper and richer and the small things don’t become our ultimate goal, I think it’s fine and good and sometimes necessary!
All of this ‘performance-based thinking’ takes attention and effort, but it seems worth it to create our next chapter based on what we want it to feel, look, and be like, not just the number of hours we spend on this or that, or the things we own, or the number of activities we do.
What do you reckon?
P.S. The timing of posts may be a little different over the next few weeks because I am on the road! More about this soon!