Peter Drucker once famously said what gets measured gets managed.
He should have said everything that can be measured can be managed, but not everything worth managing can be measured.
This simply means a lot happens in a business that numbers can’t explain.
Numbers don’t tell you why someone brought from your store, why they bounced from your website or why today was busier than yesterday.
A framework we use to remember this point when making decisions is called ‘What & Why’.
Framework:
Numbers tell you what is happening in your business, but they don’t tell you why.
Following the what and why framework forces us to map a more defined picture of our business which improves our decision-making by drawing lines from what happened to why it happened.
- No one bought from our store today, because y happened.
- We increased sales by 15% this month, and X, Y and Z are why.
Our Take:
In our Level 10 meetings (Part of the EOS framework if you’re interested), we review our KPIs. When one is off-track, we brainstorm solutions to get it back on track.
But just seeing a number is down or lagging is not worth much by itself. We have to investigate why to develop a solution that is likely to work.
Ex. Leads are down – “maybe we need to increase ad spend – well, actually, our website is broken, and no one can signup”.
If you were to fall into any camp. Go with the qualitative stuff; why someone is doing something in your business matters far more than when they did it or how many times they did it.
Numbers can show you what’s happening in your business, but understanding why is where the real growth begins. At K&J Growth, we don’t just help you track metrics—we uncover the reasons behind them to build smarter, more effective strategies.
Contact us here: K&J Growth
For more insights and tips, connect with us on LinkedIn: K&J Growth
Make sure to check out our Co-founder on LinkedIn too: Kale Panoho
