For years, we were told that what gets measured gets managed. And so we measured everything. From sales targets to customer satisfaction, call times to click-throughs, we created a culture of metrics.
Performance reviews became spreadsheets. Dashboards replaced dialogue. And in too many workplaces, the soul quietly left the building.
It’s not that numbers are bad. They’re essential. But when numbers become all that matters, something very human gets lost. When success is reduced to quarterly performance, daily KPIs, or monthly conversion charts, we stop asking bigger questions: What are we building here? Who are we becoming? Why does this work matter?
Cultures built solely on data may be efficient, but they’re rarely inspiring. You can’t spreadsheet your way to passion. You can’t dashboard your way to purpose. And when employees are asked to deliver on numbers that feel disconnected from any meaningful goal, they disengage. They become compliant, not committed. Capable, but flat. Good enough … but never great.
Jack Ma once said, “You need the right people, not the best people. The best people may not be suitable, but the right people understand your vision.” That vision is what many organisations are failing to offer. You can have all the dashboards in the world, but if your people can’t see where you’re going, or why, they won’t help you get there.
The irony is that the very performance many organisations chase with relentless measurement is often best achieved by stepping back and looking beyond the numbers. Hope is a more powerful motivator than pressure. People do their best work not just when they’re accountable but when they’re inspired.
Younger generations in the workforce understand this intuitively. Gen Z and Millennials are not anti-performance – far from it. But they’re increasingly unwilling to give their energy to organisations where performance is the only conversation.
They want meaning. They want impact. They want to know that their work contributes to something larger than next month’s margin. And perhaps they’re not naïve; perhaps they’re right.
Simon Sinek captures it well: “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” The culture you create will decide which one your employees experience.
We still need to measure, but we also need to imagine. The most energising workplaces don’t just chase numbers; they create meaning. While data might drive your business, it’s hope that powers your people.
by CHRIS HARRISON
