Transform, grow, change, adapt, improve, deliver. Then do it all again, only faster and with less. It’s a lot.

In the middle of everything that’s coming at teams and organisations, it’s easy to lose track of what good actually looks like. Or to assume that everyone has the same picture of where we’re going, and how we’ll know when we’re getting there.

That’s why I wanted to write about measures. Not the frameworks or the jargon, but the simple power of being clear. Clear about what we’re aiming for. Clear about how we’ll know if it’s working. Clear about what good looks like (and what doesn’t). Clear enough that people can focus, adjust and learn along the way.

Why clear measures matter more than ever

Most organisations are not short on ambition. Leaders set bold strategies and teams work hard to deliver against them. There is usually a clear sense of direction and a strong desire to do good work. But somewhere between intent and delivery, things can start to drift. Often, it comes down to one simple thing - the measures aren’t clear enough.

We know what we want to achieve in principle, but we have not defined how we will know whether we are getting there. Without that clarity, the effort can start to lose its edge.

The value of being specific

People are busy and work is getting done, but that does not always mean progress is being made. When goals are vague, teams can find themselves doing a lot without moving meaningfully forward. Good intentions are not enough. You need something specific to guide decisions and focus energy.

This is where clear goals and useful measures make a real difference. They give people something to aim for and something to reflect on. They support alignment, allow leaders to coach with confidence, and help teams understand how their effort contributes to outcomes that matter.

It is not just about tracking performance. Measures create a platform for learning. When teams know what they are working towards, they can talk more openly about what is working and what is not. They can adapt quickly, adjust plans without losing sight of the goal, and make smarter choices about where to put their energy.

When the measures are missing

Without shared goals and meaningful measures, everything becomes harder. People end up interpreting success in their own way, which creates misalignment. Leaders try to hold teams accountable, but the expectations are fuzzy. Conversations become subjective, and it is difficult to know whether challenges are about performance, direction or clarity.

It can also take a toll on motivation. When people cannot see whether their work is making a difference, it is hard to stay engaged. Work becomes transactional. Priorities blur. The sense of progress fades.

It does not need to be complicated

You do not need a complicated framework, a huge measurement system, or a video wall of metrics. Whether it is OKRs, KPIs or just a handful of shared success statements, what matters is that everyone knows what they are working towards, why it matters, and how it will be measured.

The most useful measures are grounded in outcomes, not just activity. They are shared across the team and revisited regularly. They support good conversations. They help teams reflect, learn and adjust. They give leaders and teams a way to talk about progress in a way that is constructive and honest.

How to get started

If you are wondering how to make this work in your own context, here are a few ideas that can help build traction and momentum.

If you are a leader, start by being clear about what success looks like for your team. Choose a few things that really matter and talk about them regularly. Invite your team to shape the language and the measures with you. That way, they are not just being measured. They are building shared ownership of what matters.

If you are in a team and want more clarity, talk to your leader about it. Ask how the work you are doing contributes to broader goals. Share where you feel uncertain. Suggest drafting a few working measures together. You don't need permission to ask better questions.

If you are trying to influence across an organisation, look for opportunities to align rather than standardise. Start with teams that are open to trying something new. Share examples that show the difference clear measures can make. Focus on language that fits your culture. Keep the conversation open rather than turning it into a compliance task.

If you are trying to build broader awareness, keep it practical. Share wins and lessons. Use simple visuals. Bring it into team rhythms like stand-ups, planning cycles and retrospectives. The more people see it working in the wild, the more they will trust it and use it.

The goal is not to roll out a perfect model. It's to create clarity and alignment in a way that fits how your organisation actually works.

What we see at Five

At Five, we help organisations get clearer on what good looks like and how they will know when they are achieving it. Sometimes that means supporting teams to build goals that are truly aligned with strategy. Sometimes it means simplifying what is already there so that measures are actually useful. And sometimes it means shifting the focus from tasks and outputs to outcomes and impact.

Whatever the starting point, the outcome is usually the same. People become more focused, and leaders make decisions more confidently. Organisations are better able to learn, adapt and improve as they go.

Clear measures don't fix everything, but they give you something to build on. They make effort visible. They create shared understanding. They help turn good intent into real progress.

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