The mental tendency to replace strategy with metrics can destroy company value. I see this on a regular basis with business organizations, Goals and Objectives are set, then the focus shifts to the Metric for the goal or objective, and not the objective itself.
When sight is lost on the objective and why it was set, companies lose out on the value of the objective and just settle for hitting the metric. Most metrics benefit the one being measured, and not the organization.
Some examples of these are payment terms, average days to pay, number of projects in the pipeline, number of quotes, number of calls made, across the board 5% price increase. In theory these are good metrics to measure, provided meeting them contributes to the overall objective, something greater for the company and not just a number.
When expectations for goals and objectives are set low, vague, or generic, it’s a clear signal the person responsible for their establishment is not invested, committed, or focused on meeting them. Their focus will be on the metric; what benefits them.
Set multiple goals and objectives, review on a regular cadence and loosen the link between the metric and incentives.