There’s something powerful, but reductive that comes with attaching success to a tangible metric.
GPA and SAT scores are an indicator of traditional success, but are they what we should aspire to?
College acceptances are good, but then we’re relying on rankings of how good each acceptance is.
Once you’re not in school the metrics are more like salary, venture dollars raised, or philanthropic dollars raised. Or in a weirder, work-heavy world, hours worked per week.
We use countless metrics to demonstrate our competence and worthiness. But what happens when the most significant metrics are the hardest to demonstrate? How do you show that a person now believes in themselves more, communicates better and takes more leadership in day-to-day interactions?
It’s unsatisfying and much harder than using one of the upfront metrics. But the things that matter are hard to measure.