Final week, Wells Fargo fired a bunch of their distant staff.

It seems that these staff had been “simulating keyboard exercise” (with a program/machine that routinely typed keys or jiggled their mouse once they weren’t at their pc).

Why?

As a result of that’s how these staff had been evaluated:

Not by what number of purchasers they introduced in, nor what number of relationships they fostered, however by what number of hours they had been lively on their computer systems.

In order that’s precisely what these staff gave them.

Keep in mind, this is similar financial institution that informed staff again in 2017: “Enroll as many consumers to additional banking companies as attainable.”

The consequence?

Tens of millions of unknowing prospects had bank cards and financial savings accounts and brokerage accounts created illegally of their names, lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in fines, and destroyed goodwill for Wells Fargo.

Why did each of those comically unhealthy lapses in judgment occur?

Bloomberg’s Matt Levine mentioned it nicely:

Two fundamental ideas of administration, and regulation, and life, are:

  1. You get what you measure.
  2. The factor that you just measure will get gamed.

Actually that’s only one precept: You get what you measure, however solely precisely what you measure. There’s no assure that you just’ll get the extra common good factor that you just thought you had been roughly measuring.

If you’d like onerous staff and measure hours labored, you’ll get numerous staff browsing the web till midnight.

I stumbled throughout this story final week, and instantly thought how this precise incentive-and-unexpected-results performs out on a regular basis in our lives.

We obtain Duolingo to study to converse with a local speaker of their language. Months later, we’re checking in day by day so we don’t get yelled at by the Owl, we’re determined to maintain our day by day streak lively…and we will solely say “I discovered a blue ostrich on the library.”

We lie in mattress, waiving our arm above our head like a madman, as a result of our FitBit says we’d like 500 extra steps to hit 10,000 for the day. (Right here’s the historical past of the 10k step rule by the way in which…)

I as soon as “meditated” each single day for six months in order that I may construct my meditation streak in Headspace. Typically I’d even open the app and simply let the meditation play so I obtained credit score for it, regardless that I wasn’t meditating…THE WHOLE REASON I HAD DOWNLOADED THE APP.

We inform ourselves that we need to “learn extra,” however then we observe what number of books we learn. This incentivizes us to learn books shortly (with out retaining any of it), as an alternative of tackling greater challenges like Warfare & Peace or rereading our favourite books to glean extra classes.

WHY can we need to learn extra? To study stuff or to be entertained! The variety of books, or WHICH books, doesn’t matter:

Social media started as a technique to join with associates. Nowadays, social media is massive enterprise and the solely advertising and marketing instrument for a lot of creators. As a result of these firms observe “time on app” and “consideration”…social media is now a hellscape of shock.

Probably the most attention-grabbing content material filters to the highest: outrage inducing, factually incorrect, terrible content material designed to enrage and concern monger. Even most of my favourite wellness creators as of late spend their time making response movies to essentially the most vile wellness misinformation, as a result of that’s the one sort of content material that good points any traction.

(No surprise so many individuals are avoiding the Darkish Forest of the Web!).

All of these items weave an interesting tapestry of how the human mind works, and simply how good our brains are at taking a metric and studying the improper lesson from that metric!

What are you measuring?

Nearly all of folks go to NerdFitness.com to “shed extra pounds.”

That is the one metric that everyone is used to monitoring. Each advert talks about the right way to shed extra pounds quick. They see the quantity on the dimensions and let that quantity decide how they really feel about themselves that day.

That is the improper metric to completely deal with:

We don’t actually need to “shed extra pounds.” What we wish is to lose fats whereas conserving the muscle now we have (or constructing muscle).

If our ONLY objective is weight reduction, extreme calorie restriction and limitless cardio may end in a decrease quantity on the dimensions. BUT! If we don’t change our relationship with meals, and eat sufficient of the fitting macronutrients and micronutrients, we’ll find yourself feeling torpid, starved, and depressing…after which gorge ourselves as quickly as life will get in the way in which.

If we energy practice whereas consuming sufficient protein and in a caloric deficit, we’ll truly shed extra pounds slower than if we simply starved ourselves and did hours of cardio. BUT, we’ll be shedding fats whereas sustaining muscle.

The size ought to solely be ONE a part of how we consider our progress:

In spite of everything, the quantity on the dimensions goes to fluctuate from everyday:

  • If we went out to dinner final night time.
  • if we ate an excessive amount of salt yesterday.
  • If we’re carrying additional water weight.
  • If we’re on our interval.
  • any variety of causes.

So, as soon as we all know that what we select to trace is essential, how can we use this to our benefit?

What to Observe, What NOT to Observe

Keep in mind, that which will get measured will get improved, so let’s be good about what we’re monitoring.

We are able to ask, “What do I REALLY need to occur? Is that this the fitting metric for that objective?”

  • Attempting to “eat higher”: Observe your protein consumption and variety of fruits/veggies eaten day by day. If these are the primary two issues in your plate for every meal, your weight will begin to shift with out your deal with it.
  • Attempting to construct a “seaside physique”? Nice, let’s construct some muscle. Observe your exercises, and write down precisely what number of units and reps. Then, do ONE extra subsequent time. The objective? Progressive overload for the win! Get stronger,
  • Need to learn extra? Don’t observe “books learn,” which could end in you selecting shorter books or velocity studying, however as an alternative observe “time spent studying.” This could embrace audiobooks, rereading outdated books, no matter. Deal with your studying record like a river, not a to-do record!

Lastly, there are numerous issues we in all probability DON’T want to trace, or we must be cautious about when monitoring.

There’s an entire neighborhood of biohackers who’re prioritizing monitoring the tiniest of particulars throughout a wide range of metrics, a lot of which don’t matter, or may end in opposed outcomes.

Right here’s one thing we get requested about so much:

Except you’re a diabetic and have been suggested by a physician, you don’t want to put on a steady glucose monitor. Non permanent glucose spikes after consuming a meal are completely regular.

(This podcast from my pal Dr. Spencer Nadolsky does a very good job explaining why you don’t want a glucose monitor until you’re diabetic).

Right here’s one thing I used to trace however deserted:

I used to trace my sleep religiously with an Oura ring and AppleWatch, however then I’d get anxious in the course of the night time and fear that I used to be ruining my “sleep rating”…which negatively impacted the very exercise I used to be making an attempt to enhance by means of monitoring. Nowadays, I fear far much less about monitoring “good sleep” and simply do what I can to be in mattress for 8ish hours, asleep or not.

And on an even bigger, life philosophy query:

Be cautious of how social media is warping the scorecard you’re utilizing to trace your progress in life! It’s very easy to get sucked into: “Work onerous to become profitable to spend it on issues we don’t must impress folks we don’t even like” Life success isn’t measured within the measurement of our home, or worth of our automotive, or the quantity in our checking account.

Bringing all of it collectively:

With regards to private growth or well being enchancment, it helps to ask: “What am I optimizing for, and does that truly assist me get the consequence I actually need?”

We are able to then resolve if we’re even taking part in with the fitting scorecard and conserving our deal with the fitting metric.

I’d love to listen to from you: what’s a metric you USED to prioritize, however now not observe? And what’s the essential metric that you just’re selecting to prioritize as of late?

Hit reply on this and let me know!

-Steve





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