Return On Your Investment

We all know the value of measurement.  We all know we should measure things.  But are you measuring the right things?
One of the sessions I attended at this year’s Counselors Academy was on measurement.  And thanks to the sense of humor of Mike Neumeier from the Arketi Group in Atlanta, I paid attention and found a few takeaways.
He was kind enough to share his presentation and his “final thoughts.”  I’ve included a few of my own as well.

• Measurement is possible for every organization, starting anywhere is better than not starting at all.
  • So true – even if you don’t have a large budget, be curious, ask questions, read trade journals, etc. You can always find something to measure.
• Know what you are measuring, why you are measuring it…and your measurements’ limitations.
  • We learned this one the hard way. When you fail to ask what the success measures will be no matter how awesome the program implementation is, you will not be a success.
• Measure everything.
  • But measure the right things.
• Align your program to how your client measures success.
  • See above. If success to you is the front page of the local daily and success to the client is how many people come to a workshop, you are headed in the wrong direction.
• Leverage data you are generating now to provide a road map for the future.
  • There are lots of places to get data – know where you are starting and where you want to go. Refer back to that data often to see if you are on the right track.
• The more you are able to let data showcase your success, the more you get paid.
  • Well, that would be nice. And it is most definitely true.  When you develop a strategy, with clearly defined goals and you implement it and can show that it is successful, it stands to reason you’ll be asked to keep doing it.