Developing effective performance measures that help us gauge the success of our strategy execution is a critical task for every organization. However, some make the job far more difficult than it has to be by insisting on the discovery of 'perfect' measures. Of course, that search will prove fruitless because in the end, no perfect measure exists for anything, and the quest for perfection ultimately frustrates people and limits the effectiveness of the measurement program. When it comes to measurement we should keep in mind the words of American writer John Updike who once said: "Perfection is the enemy of creation." Striving for the perfect measure causes us to overlook simple methods we can use to track results, challenge assumptions, and spark a dialog among our team.

Here is one of my all time favorite examples of measurement simplicity. When the rock band Van Halen was at their peak in the 1980s their shows were not only musical events but also technological extravaganzas, requiring multiple semi trucks full of equipment. Because of the technical sophistication, the band's contract with venues was extremely intricate. A standard article in the contract might read: There will be 15 amperage voltage sockets at 20-foot spaces, evenly, providing 10 amperes." The band was well aware that any failure by the venue's staff to adhere to technical standards had the potential to destroy the show, but of course they didn't have the time or inclination to check every plug and socket. To protect themselves, and their fans, Van Halen inserted a special clause in each contract, titled Article 126, which read: "There will be no brown M&M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." When the band arrived at a concert hall the first thing they'd do was sneak a peek at the M&M bowl backstage. If it contained brown M&M's they would order an entire line check because it was clear the contract hadn't been followed and technical errors were almost certain to occur. So the humble measure "The number of brown M&M's" was a key indicator of the success of Van Halen concerts. Clear and elegant in its simplicity.

Here are a few guidelines to ensure your own measures are simple:

• Whether the measure's results go up or down, you know immediately what it means
• You can explain the measure to someone in thirty seconds or less
• The data is easy to collect

Zook and Allen argue persuasively that "Complexity has become the silent killer of growth strategies." This complexity creeps up on organizations, and is found in many forms: an unending flow of new initiatives, complex messages that serve to confuse rather than inform employees, and complex IT systems to track everything. Their antidote to this debilitating complexity is what they term 'the great repeatable model,' which is characterized by three principles: a strong differentiated core (strategy), a set of clear non-negotiables (core values used to make trade-offs in decision making), and systems for closed loop learning (feedback and continuous improvement). The book isn't perfect; at times I felt they were stretching their theories to fit current business narratives, but overall I found the advice practical and informative. 

I love books that have a provocative premise, and this one doesn't disappoint. Very early on Gardner declares: "We are the healthiest, wealthiest, and longest-lived people in history. And we are increasingly afraid." He spends the next three hundred pages of this insightful and revealing book dissecting that statement. Along the way we discover that our brains often lead us to miscalculate risk, how anecdotes are too often substituted for hard data in the media, why our perception of crime rarely matches reality, and many other fascinating topics. This is not a business book per se, but given the ever-increasing significance of risk management in the organizational world, executives and managers would do well to study Gardner's findings to ensure they are accurately gauging the true risks they face.