#828 Numbers Gone Wild: The Hidden Cost of Being Data-Driven

Chasing numbers can actually destroy what made your business great. In this episode, Dan and Ian unpack Goodhart’s Law — the idea that once a measure becomes a target, it stops being useful — and how founders accidentally turn smart goals into bad incentives. Plus, you’ll hear six ways to build healthier systems, lead better, and stop metrics from running your company off the rails. LINKS Share your thoughts about the podcast (takes 2 mins) (https://getperspective.ai/interview/tmba-feedback) This week’s sponsor: SPP.co “Your billing, onboarding & projects in one client portal” (https://spp.co/) This week’s sponsor: Smash Digital “Scale your organic traffic with future-proof strategies” (https://smashdigital.com/) Connect with 6-, 7- & 8-figure founders in person and online (https://dynamitecircle.com/) Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders and join us in NYC this December (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) 22 FREE business resources for location-independent entrepreneurs (https://tropicalmba.com/resources) CHAPTERS (00:01:16) The Hair-Dye Economy & Durable Businesses (00:03:38) The Problem with Metrics (00:07:44) Fix #1: Revisit Your Brand Promise (00:09:12) Fix #2: Determine a Countervailing Metric (00:12:17) Fix #3: Combine Input and Output Metrics (00:13:12) Fix #4: Refresh Metrics Every 90 Days (00:14:39) Fix #5: Pulse Discipline (00:16:05) Fix #6: The Leadership Lens (00:20:00) The Alt Business School (00:25:42) When a Job Post Becomes a Marketing Hack CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com Ian@tropicalmba.com Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: Wealth Without a 7-Figure Exit: 5 Steps (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/wealth-without-7-figure-exit) How to Instantly Improve Your Lead Pipeline by 20-50% (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/improve-your-lead-pipeline) Growth vs. Optimization — 90% of Growth Comes from 10% of Activities? (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/growth-vs-optimization)