Hello everyone, welcome back.
Today we are going to talk about measuring things in order to get them done.
Terry, what do you think are some of the key barriers to getting things done?
>> Well, one of the big barriers is trying to do too many things.
I read a great book earlier this year called The Four Disciplines of Execution.
And in this book they describe how we try to do five things.
We try to do ten things instead of trying to
do one or two things and actually getting them done.
>> So what kind of metrics would you use to measure things?
>> Well in this book, they described lag metrics and lead metrics.
And, lag metrics are, was I successful yesterday?
Lead metrics are, will I be successful tomorrow?
So let me give you an example.
A number of years ago my dad wanted to lose 80 pounds.
>> Wow.
>> So he had his lag metric, he wanted to lose 80 pounds and
he could step on the scale each morning and know, was I successful yesterday?
But to be able to act today and predict will
I be successful, he was able to watch two other things.
He was able to see how much was I eating each day, and he kept
track of the points that he ate, and how much did I exercise that day.
And so by keeping track of those two lead metrics, he knew
if we would be successful on the scales a week from now.
>> So once you've picked your metrics, how do you keep
on track to make sure you get where you want to go?
>> Yeah, well that was one of the great things about the program he was in.
It was Weight Watchers.
They met every week and so they
had a weekly accountability, everyone was right there
and they got on the scale so they knew if they were successful or not.
>> You know, it makes me think about the
impact of creative diversity because we're talking about structure here.
We're really setting up a structure for measuring things.
>> That's right.
>> And people, we know, respond to structure in different ways.
So people that have a more structured view of
the world, they may find these metrics natural, comfortable.
They may even say, hey, I do this all the time but people who have a less
structured way of thinking, they may have to work
harder at setting up metrics and sticking to them.
They need to realize that sometimes it's absolutely necessary.
It kind of makes me think Jack, do you
use metrics in your Intelligent Fast Failure too?
>> I use measurements two ways.
I tend to be a less structured person.
>> Mm-hm.
>> And so, one way is through idea generation.
I measure daily how many ideas I generate, and I write them down in
my idea journal, so I know from day to day whether I'm generating more ideas.
>> Right.
>> And that's so helpful because the more
ideas I generate, the more good ideas I get.
>> That's right.
>> Right.
>> The other way is through my experimentation.
I measure the number of experiments I run because that's the application of
those ideas, so it's very important for me to take note of, of those.
And that imprints in my mind
the importance of generating ideas and practicing.
>> Now, I remember we, we talked about this last year when
you were going through an idea generation phase and you kept track of
your ideas, and you noticed that as you focused your awareness on the
number of ideas that you created each day, your volume expanded each day.
>> Yes, because I recognize those are the
most important things for me and that recognition,
again, imprinted in my mind in terms of
what's important, what's important for me to be creative.
>> Right.
And this really gets back to what we were talking about at the beginning.
>> Mh-hm.
>> By focusing on a few metrics, not everything
but a few metrics, five, six, seven metrics, you
can raise your awareness of those pieces so that
you can reduce your focus and get things done.
>> So what do you want to get done?
Pick a few things that are really important to you and then
find a few metrics that will help you to track your progress.
Thanks for being with us today folks.
We'll see you again next time.