Why Measuring Success Matters More Than Novelty

I vividly recall a meeting several years ago in a major consumer goods company where our marketing director proudly presented impressive growth figures that had seemingly appeared overnight. His polished presentation was abruptly interrupted by our strategic planning director, who asked: “This is all very well, but what are the drivers of this growth? What changed midyear?”

The marketing director confidently pointed to familiar explanations: a successful advertising campaign, packaging adjustments, and formula tweaks. Yet, the managers quickly challenged him: The formula and packaging had been altered two years earlier, the campaign was identical to last year’s, and investment had even decreased.

Cornered, he resorted to vague hypotheses about shifts in consumer habits, which were also dismissed. Finally, he admitted what we already suspected: “The truth is, I don’t know what is driving this growth.”

This episode illustrates a common organizational blind spot: not knowing with precision what is being done well. In continuous improvement processes, leaders often focus on identifying weaknesses or missed opportunities. While this is valid, the greater danger lies in failing to recognize and measure the actions that are producing success. Too often, achievements are taken for granted, assumed to be automatic or intrinsic, and therefore risk being abandoned or altered without understanding their true value.

You don’t want to become the next “Coca-Cola” by changing the very formula that brought you success — only to face a backlash that proved nearly irreversible. The strongest and fastest results come not from chasing novelty but from repeating and sustaining what works, then building incremental improvements on that foundation. As Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, famously said: “What gets measured gets managed.” Without precise measurement of successes, organizations risk losing them. Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great," reinforced this idea: “Great companies are not obsessed with what is new, but with what they consistently do well.”

To safeguard achievements, organizations must identify clear indicators that explain positive outcomes, share them broadly with teams, and maintain the core strategy that delivers results. This discipline allows new initiatives to be measured accurately against a stable baseline. Conversely, when strategies are swapped — consciously or unconsciously — without clarity on what is working, measurement becomes imprecise and progress uncertain. Sustaining success requires discipline more than improvisation.

At times, this is not easy, especially for global companies that adapt strategies designed for their largest markets. When these strategies are applied indiscriminately to smaller or less mature markets, the effects can be terribly negative. Another common mistake is attempting to replicate simultaneously a series of successful strategies that were originally developed progressively in other regions, expecting immediate or even magical results. Such shortcuts often undermine the very foundation of success.

“I understand that you may not know exactly where the growth is coming from,” said the director of strategic planning to the head of marketing. “The truth is, your arguments are correct — the growth does stem from the commercial strategy you have implemented. But in addition, we introduced a program that allows us to monitor, in real time, which stores are running low or completely out of inventory. This capability has enabled us to respond much faster with replenishment, and when combined with your strategy, it is precisely what has driven such remarkable growth. We chose not to mention it earlier to ensure no other factors interfered with the measurement. Please extend my congratulations to your team." We all laughed and applauded.

At the end of last year, the president of Radwell North America asked me to deliver a strategic message to our team in Mexico. It was a powerful and flattering message that revealed the maturity and intelligence of the company’s leadership: “Please tell the team to keep doing what they are doing.” Simple yet profound, this directive reflects the wisdom of recognizing and reinforcing proven strategies rather than rushing to reinvent them. It does not mean abandoning improvement, but rather clarifying priorities: sustain what works, then build upon it.