Are you really ready for accountability? Individually, I hear people talk about wanting to measure their results, and then the fun begins.
What are your metrics? “I Don’t really know.”
Ok, what is your boss being held to? “I Don’t really know.”
How about your peers, do they have metrics? “I don’t think so.”
I talk with people a lot about their online advertising and how they are tracking results. They often have some type of digital analytics package in place, but they don’t really know how to use it. So, that’s the reason they don’t have targets… (not really).
The real reason is usually organizational or cultural. The tools can be implemented with a little effort, if you’re willing to invest the time and money. But, they often don’t know what they would measure. It is not just about holding someone accountable to a number. It is more often about providing them with insights into the results of their actions so they can improve the numbers, get things going in the right direction.
Take a copy writer. Are you really going to hold the person accountable for actual revenue targets? No. But, if she is passionate about what she does, she will want to know if the readers are spending time on the content and taking certain actions / clicking. If she can see metrics, she can start to see what drives engagement and actions and incorporate this into future copy.
There is not enough space in a single post to share all my thoughts on the topic, but I did put together an ebook (is on amazon, but hidden apparently as no one knows about it. 😉 ). If your are interested in a perspective on creating a culture of analytics, I think it can be helpful.