Family KPIs

 Family KPIs

Success rests on systems.

In the professional sector, we often talk about "what gets measured, gets managed" and one of those major measuring instruments is Key Performance Indicators.  One of the cool parts about KPIs is that you can make the ones that make sense for you in this season.  For example, at work, we had seasons where we'd target volunteer recruitment, in other seasons perhaps training, and finally other seasons targeted fund development.  Certainly, some actions cross-cut through all seasons, but using the KPIs allowed each sub-team to target their particular contributions while also leaning into team-level shared campaigns.  

Getting on the right
track.

At home, we do similar indicators to track our progress toward goals that help get our family closer to who we are trying to become.  These could be books read, board games played, skills acquired, or hours outdoors.  You can assign KPIs to items that are highly prioritized or ones that you're struggling with.  Some that lead themselves to family progress include goals (and associated KPI measurements aligned toward a desired end state) around diet, exercise, finances, quality time, screen time, adventures, work-life balance, or anything else that you're finding challenging or important.  

Getting wired for success.

Too often in business, we tend to let the KPIs overshadow our people...we make them the altar of the bottom line and manage to KPIs.  There are seasons of life where you can have this same problem at home when you let an arbitrary performance indicator run over your relationship.  For example, we had some sprint seasons at work where I was definitely a better "worker" than I was a husband or father.  My work KPIs were pretty great...my home ones were not so much.  Now, fortunately, I think we're wiser and our version of KPIs is a bit more well-rounded, balancing the work and home lives better.  

KPIs help us focus
our aim.

Checking in periodically with a measuring stick helps us quantify our progress (or lack thereof) and apply targeted action in the coming months.  This inherent accountability helps us get from the wish stage to crossing the finish line.  For us, we have weekly family meetings that we've found useful to help keep an eye on the immediate where we talk about some of the weekly progress (e.g. the chore money that they've earned that week and what they're putting it towards (save/spend/give)).  Quarterly we'll check in on the bigger progress items and annually we touch base on the strategic level components that, in theory, all the smaller KPIs work toward over the year.  

KPI's give us
clues to 
progress.

With any new KPI, it takes a minute to figure out what are the right indicators to track and measure.  And, like any new thing in general, you'll probably struggle with it at first...but you'll get better with practice.  We've had ebbs and flows as it relates to our measured metrics.  We'll have some that are proactive and intentionally selected, while other KPIs are reactionary when we realize we had too many Christmas cookies, and coming into the new year, we're on a health trend that isn't healthy.  In general though, as we've practiced over the years, many of the KPIs have become habitual (quarterly weigh-ins and measurements (how big around is my waist, how many pounds, how many pushups/situps in 2 minutes, etc).  Like the boiling frog, we don't wake up unable to do physical things, nor do we sit down to the dinner table one night and pack on 20 pounds...we add a little here and there...until all too soon, it feels like our ability to do amazing, awesome things are gone overnight.  On the flip side, "After 20 years of hard work, I was an overnight success."  KPIs help us, over the years to spot the trends, course correct, and get the results...stick with the grind of your first family meeting where you awkwardly try to establish KPIs...it gets easier and the results are beyond worth it.  

KPIs keep you on the
right trail. 

You can flip the switch a little bit by redefining KPI to Keep Your People Informed, Involved, Interested, and Inspired.  This redefinition can apply both at home and at work.  Having had the privilege to manage many volunteers in my time with a non-profit that was 92% volunteers for staff, I can vouch for the importance, as a leader, of making your team...part of the team.  When we were having our best results, we were identifying and actioning solutions...as a team.  At home, same story - when we're rocking it at home, it tends to be the times when our whole family is leaning into the yoke together.  Too often due to pride, ignorance, distraction, or whatever else, we try to take on the world by ourselves, forgetting that our burdens are lighter (emotionally, physically, spiritually, you name it) when we share them.  

Track your
KPIs.

As we've talked about, you can change the metrics you're measuring over time as you need.  As our kids are learning how to read, the season of life where KPIs were letter shapes/sounds is being replaced with the number of books independently read.  As we're getting older, our KPIs are no longer how many mountains climbed, but more around how many times we've walked around the block as a family in the evenings.  We don't generally get where we're intending to go by accident or sitting on the sidelines.  We get there by consistently applying directed action toward an end zone that we've established.  Just like the yard markers on the side of a football field, KPIs help us understand if we're moving forward, backward, or staying put.  Your family only becomes who you want it to be by giving those intentions words...and taking actions along the path.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out a couple of KPIs that your family will focus on as you go into the new year.  Get specific and write down the details to clarify your goals so that you make defined progress.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of shared actions.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- KPI Description

- KPI Business Examples