Question 1

Our team hits their numbers but business results don't improve. What's happening?

Accepted Answer

You're probably seeing Goodhart's Law in action: when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. Your team isn't doing anything wrong. They're doing exactly what you incentivized them to do. The problem is that single metrics can always be gamed. Speed goes up by cutting corners. Growth goes up by acquiring low-quality customers. Output goes up by burning out your team. The number improves, but the system doesn't. The fix isn't better metrics. It's paired metrics. When you measure speed AND quality together, the only way to "win" is to genuinely improve. Cutting corners to hit speed tanks the quality number. Gaming becomes visible.

Question 2

What are vanity metrics and how do I know if we're tracking them?

Accepted Answer

Vanity metrics are numbers that look impressive but don't connect to actual business outcomes. They make dashboards pretty without driving decisions. Common examples: total registered users (ignoring how many are active), page views (ignoring engagement), social followers (ignoring conversion), and automation rate (ignoring quality). The test is simple. Ask yourself: "If this metric doubled tomorrow, would I make any different decisions?" If the answer is no or you're not sure, you're tracking a vanity metric. About 65% of organizations fall into this trap. The solution isn't to stop measuring these things. It's to pair each one with its counterbalance so you see the full picture.

Question 3

We're implementing AI and the vendor promised huge efficiency gains. How do I measure honestly?

Accepted Answer

Vendors love single metrics because they're easy to hit. "80% automation rate!" sounds impressive until you realize customer satisfaction cratered. "50% faster response time!" hides that accuracy dropped. The honest approach is to pair every promise with its natural counterbalance. Automation rate should be paired with quality score. Response speed with accuracy. Volume handled with customer satisfaction. Cost reduction with outcome quality. When you require both metrics, the conversation changes immediately. Vendors who are confident in their solution will welcome this. Those who aren't will start adding caveats. That's the point. The paired measurement tells you who to trust.

Question 4

How do paired KPIs actually prevent gaming?

Accepted Answer

Gaming works by optimizing one thing at the expense of something else you're not measuring. Paired KPIs close that loophole. When speed and quality are measured together, cutting corners doesn't help. The speed gain shows up, but so does the quality drop. The net effect is visible. The same principle applies everywhere. Growth paired with retention. Output paired with team engagement. Cost reduction paired with outcome quality. The only way to genuinely improve both metrics is to genuinely improve the system. Shortcuts always sacrifice one to boost the other. Research shows dual metrics reduce gaming behavior by 40-60%. It's not magic. It's just making tradeoffs visible instead of hiding them in unmeasured damage.

Question 5

We've been measuring wrong for years. Where do we start fixing this?

Accepted Answer

Start with your most suspicious KPI. The one where the number looks good but something feels off. You probably already have a gut sense of where gaming is happening. Once you've identified it, ask: what's the natural counterbalance? What could be getting worse while this number improves? Speed's counterbalance is quality. Growth's counterbalance is retention. Efficiency's counterbalance is effectiveness. Add that second measurement. You don't need to overhaul everything at once. Adding one counterbalance metric to your most suspicious KPI will immediately reveal what's been hidden. Then expand from there. Within a few months, you'll have paired constraints across your key metrics and the gaming problem disappears because the only way to win becomes genuinely improving.

Single metrics lie.

When you optimize for one thing, something else suffers.

Every KPI has an opposing force.

Gaming one hurts the other. Only genuine improvement helps both.

Now you can.

You see through the games

Teams stop fighting the system

Progress compounds

Let's design measurement that tells the truth.

Common Questions About Metric Gaming