6
Weekly charts dazzled everyone—except the customers. One Monday, the dashboard vanished.
The Glitter Problem – The team obsessed over views, likes, and “green arrows.” Customer emails waited.
The Deletion – “For 30 days,” the manager said, “we’ll measure only solved customer problems.”
The Withdrawal – Day 3: Slack was quieter. Day 10: first angry thread. Day 20: a thank-you from a long-ignored client.
The Outcome – Renewal rate +11%. Fewer slides, more solutions.
The Return – The dashboard came back, but with two widgets only: Customer Happiness and Time to Resolution.
Life Lessons
- What you measure becomes your culture.
- Vanity metrics are sugar—energy without nourishment.
- Leaders clarify value by clarifying measures.
