Final week, Wells Fargo fired a bunch of their distant workers.
It seems that these workers have been “simulating keyboard exercise” (with a program/gadget that routinely typed keys or jiggled their mouse once they weren’t at their laptop).
Why?
As a result of that’s how these workers have been evaluated:
Not by what number of shoppers they introduced in, nor what number of relationships they fostered, however by what number of hours they have been lively on their computer systems.
In order that’s precisely what these workers gave them.
Keep in mind, this is identical financial institution that instructed workers again in 2017: “Enroll as many purchasers to further banking providers as potential.”
The end result?
Tens of millions of unknowing clients had bank cards and financial savings accounts and brokerage accounts created illegally of their names, a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in fines, and destroyed goodwill for Wells Fargo.
Why did each of those comically dangerous lapses in judgment occur?
Bloomberg’s Matt Levine stated it nicely:
Two fundamental rules of administration, and regulation, and life, are:
- You get what you measure.
- The factor that you simply 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 simply’ll get the extra common good factor that you simply thought you have been roughly measuring.
If you’d like arduous employees and measure hours labored, you’ll get plenty of employees browsing the web till midnight.
I stumbled throughout this story final week, and instantly thought how this actual 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 best way…)
I as soon as “meditated” each single day for six months in order that I might construct my meditation streak in Headspace. Typically I’d even open the app and simply let the meditation play so I acquired credit score for it, although I wasn’t meditating…THE WHOLE REASON I HAD DOWNLOADED THE APP.
We inform ourselves that we wish 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 a substitute of tackling larger challenges like Conflict & Peace or rereading our favourite books to glean extra classes.
WHY can we wish 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 approach to join with pals. Today, social media is massive enterprise and the solely advertising and marketing software 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 lately 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 features any traction.
(No marvel so many individuals are avoiding the Darkish Forest of the Web!).
All of this stuff weave an interesting tapestry of how the human mind works, and simply how good our brains are at taking a metric and studying the flawed lesson from that metric!
What are you measuring?
Nearly all of individuals go to NerdFitness.com to “drop extra pounds.”
That is the one metric that everyone is used to monitoring. Each advert talks about how you can drop extra pounds quick. They see the quantity on the size and let that quantity decide how they really feel about themselves that day.
That is the flawed metric to solely concentrate on:
We don’t actually wish to “drop extra pounds.” What we wish is to lose fats whereas preserving the muscle we’ve got (or constructing muscle).
If our ONLY aim is weight reduction, extreme calorie restriction and countless cardio would possibly lead to a decrease quantity on the size. BUT! If we don’t change our relationship with meals, and devour sufficient of the appropriate macronutrients and micronutrients, we’ll find yourself feeling torpid, starved, and depressing…after which gorge ourselves as quickly as life will get in the best way.
If we energy prepare whereas consuming sufficient protein and in a caloric deficit, we’ll truly drop extra pounds slower than if we simply starved ourselves and did hours of cardio. BUT, we’ll be dropping 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 size 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 further 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 necessary, how can we use this to our benefit?
What to Monitor, What NOT to Monitor
Keep in mind, that which will get measured will get improved, so let’s be good about what we’re monitoring.
We will ask, “What do I REALLY wish to occur? Is that this the appropriate metric for that aim?”
- Attempting to “eat higher”: Monitor 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 concentrate on it.
- Attempting to construct a “seaside physique”? Nice, let’s construct some muscle. Monitor your exercises, and write down precisely what number of units and reps. Then, do ONE extra subsequent time. The aim? Progressive overload for the win! Get stronger,
- Wish to learn extra? Don’t observe “books learn,” which could lead to you selecting shorter books or velocity studying, however as a substitute observe “time spent studying.” This will embrace audiobooks, rereading outdated books, no matter. Deal with your studying checklist like a river, not a to-do checklist!
Lastly, there are lots of issues we in all probability DON’T want to trace, or we ought to 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 would possibly lead to adversarial outcomes.
Right here’s one thing we get requested about quite a bit:
Except you’re a diabetic and have been suggested by a health care provider, you don’t want to put on a steady glucose monitor. Short-term glucose spikes after consuming a meal are completely regular.
(This podcast from my pal Dr. Spencer Nadolsky does an excellent job explaining why you don’t want a glucose monitor except 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 attempting to enhance by way of monitoring. Today, 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 a much 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 arduous to make cash to spend it on issues we don’t have to impress individuals 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:
In relation to private growth or well being enchancment, it helps to ask: “What am I optimizing for, and does that truly assist me get the end result I actually need?”
We will then determine if we’re even taking part in with the appropriate scorecard and preserving our concentrate on the appropriate metric.
I’d love to listen to from you: what’s a metric you USED to prioritize, however not observe? And what’s the necessary metric that you simply’re selecting to prioritize lately?
Hit reply on this and let me know!
-Steve
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