Anti-pattern 7.9
The Imposed Target
A savings target is set in a hurry, enforced hard, and gets exactly what it measures.
In This Context
Leaders need a number fast. At Connector, the story told to investors was about growth, but after the disappointing IPO the enforced measure was the cost cuts the board wanted to show the market by the first quarterly earnings call. Where stated, rewarded, and enforced measures differ, the enforced ones win.
Therefore
Every team is set the same savings target (at Connector, 10%), and it’s enforced visibly: when three teams missed it, one of their leads was effectively demoted.
Consequently
- Nobody is left in any doubt about which measure matters.
- The target gets exactly what it measured, and some things nobody had asked for.
- A better approach: Learn What They’re Measured On, Write In the Review Date.
Seen In
Chapter 15, “Work Toward What Gets Measured”; Chapter 7, “After the Bell: The Pressure to Cut Costs”; Chapter 17, “Incentive Structures”.