Metrics_ How to Improve Key Business Results - Martin Klubeck [7]
The Second Little Pig
The second little pig’s doctor understood the importance of metrics. He was a good doctor who communicated well with his patients. He felt like a father to his patients and sought to help them become healthier. When the doctor looked over the second little pig’s charts, he was dismayed. How to help the little pig change course? How could he help him get healthy? He liked metrics and thought the little pig would do well if he had some goals. The doctor designed a plan with three measures: weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. He explained to the little pig that he was at risk for serious health problems. He told the little pig to lower his weight by 100 pounds, get his blood pressure down to recommended levels, and reduce the bad cholesterol levels to acceptable standards. He even gave the little pig a chart to track the three measures. When the little pig asked him for advice on how to achieve these goals, the doctor offered the little pig six pamphlets, two books, and a list of web sites that he could go to for identifying programs for getting healthy. The doctor scheduled follow up appointments every three months for the next year.
The second little pig worked very hard on his program. He posted the chart on his refrigerator. He changed his eating habits, started an exercise program, and tried meditation. He bought a blood pressure monitor, a high-quality scale, and a nifty kit for checking cholesterol levels. He didn’t mind the expense—his health was worth it. He measured his blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol when he woke up—and twice more during the day. At his first quarterly checkup, the doctor was happy with his progress. They went over the numbers and decided the second little pig was on the right track. The pig was elated. He decided to step it up a bit. He thought about gastric bypass surgery, but opted instead for eating tofu six days a week. The seventh day, he would eat mixed vegetables. He stepped up his exercise program. He started on a cholesterol-lowering drug he learned about from his spam e-mail. (He loved spam.)
The second little pig’s behaviors became more reckless as he neared his second checkup. He went on a water diet three days before and spent the morning of his appointment in a steam bath to shed the water weight. His doctor was amazed. The pig had lost a total of 60 pounds, improved his blood pressure, and lowered his cholesterol levels to within 10 percent of the standard. The doctor applauded his efforts and predicted success by his next appointment, three months hence.
Two months later the second little pig’s kidneys failed and he died. The pig hadn’t understood the overall goal or how to measure his overall health. He had spent the last eight months chasing a small set of numbers instead of developing “good health.” He managed to improve his three areas of measurement, but neglected other areas of his health to do so.
The Third Little Pig
The third little pig’s doctor also believed in metrics. He was also good with his patients, but he was different than the second little pig’s doctor. He had faith that his patients could deal with the whole truth and that they should know what was behind the metrics. The doctor told the third little pig that his overall health was at risk—mostly due to his lifestyle. The doctor explained how weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels are pretty good indicators of health, but can’t be used as the only ways to determine true health. A lot would have to depend on the little pig paying attention to his body and communicating with the doctor when things felt “funny.” The little pig wondered what metric “feeling funny” was