Finding your north star and staying on track—both professionally and
personally— can be challenging when there is cloud cover, inclement weather,
and a pandemic.
Like the North Star, the brightest star in our constellation and one that serves as an anchor capable of guiding direction, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are designed to guide you to achieve purposeful, quantifiable outcomes (goals, performance, distinctive behaviors, etc.); that can be measured to accomplish your professional and personal goals.
Professional Key Performance Indicators
High performing businesses use KPIs to measure if their business is on track to reach their goals.
KPIs—like gross profit margin, client count, percentage of projects completed on first install, cost of scrap and rework, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, etc.— aid in evaluating the overall performance of an organization, or specific function within an organization. There are also specific KPIs for positions within a firm. These KPIs help employees and employers know if the employee is performing in an effective manner to help the business reach their goals. For example, a Project Manager might engage the following KPIs:
- Projects are on time and executed in an efficient, effective, professional manner (met project milestones and deadlines)
- Projects are profitable per the firm’s profit guidelines and goals
- Project manager provides exceptional customer service to internal and external constituents (measured through internal and external surveys)
Many businesses are in the process of reviewing and revising their vision, goals, and KPIs in light of the current business climate and year end.
The process of revisiting, refining, and enhancing your KPIs will strengthen your firm’s ability to reach its goals and vision in 2021. Here are three key areas of reflection in determining what to consider:
- Does your company have KPIs for the business and do you regularly review them, take strategic actions based on results measured, and have you revisited them this year? If not, look to your targeted goals and establish some specific actions and behaviors that can be measured to determine your level of success toward those goals and how you may need to adapt or change practices to get you back on course.
- Do your individual jobs have KPI’s? Do you have periodic conversations with your employees about the results? Again, if you don’t currently have these KPIs established, look to each specific function and the goals and objectives that must be accomplished to achieve success. Establish specific KPIs to measure performance and success within these functions.
- Do you have a personal vision and KPIs for your life?
Personal Key Performance Indicators
KPIs are as important to success in our personal life as they are in our professional life. Having a personal vision and specific KPIs (measures that will best assess personal goals) can be highly beneficial in providing valuable guidance— especially when the course ahead is murky or unknown.
As I worked with companies this year to hone their KPIs, I decided to create a list of my own personal KPIs to keep me on track with my personal vision. My vision is to “Be love in every moment.” To me that means operating at a frequency of calm and balance that allows a natural state of love and joy to flow. I have thought about specific KPIs that I know have proven to work for me in achieving this objective; specific actions and/or behaviors that result in my personal vision “to be in that natural state of love.” I have listed a few below.
- Spend one to two hours every day in nature, fully present in the moment.
- Seek out sacred moments of connection with family and friends each day.
- Perform a spontaneous act(s) of kindness/service each day.
- Do what I feel called to do each day.
- Engage in enlivening work and enliven the work of others.
- Make time for daily yoga postures and exercise.
- Sleep eight hours each night.
When I engage in these KPI’s each day, I notice that it is easier to embody my vision. When I don’t, I find I can get derailed and off track.
With all the uncertainty and unknowns of the pandemic, I know that if I continue to do my KPIs my vision will be on track regardless of the changes and challenges in the world.
As the year comes to a close, I invite you to consider KPIs in your business, your job, and your personal life. May the clarity of KPIs in those areas of your life bring focus, peace, joy, and abundance in 2021.
