Beyond hitting specific targets and achieving measurable goals, true success involves growth, relationships, and impact—elements that can’t always be reduced to numbers.
In this article, professionals from various industries share how they measure success beyond just hitting goals and numbers. Let’s dive into their insights with an open mind and broader perspective to learn how we can begin to measure success in more meaningful ways.
Instead of Performance Reviews, Try Asking These Questions...
BigstockThere are a lot of experts* writing about how annual performance reviews and 360-degree feedback cause more harm than good. HR executives have argued that annual reviews do not help motivate employees to improve their performance and they are based on old systems that have since shifted and even died. So, why do so many companies still use them?
My opinion is that most people don’t want to take the time necessary to build a case to change the current process as well as build a new process, and then continue to fight for the change while helping to transition through the new process. Change is hard and being a change agent can be grueling (that is a topic for another day).
So, let’s start by discussing the best ways to measure success—beyond just hitting goals and numbers. And, let’s keep it really simple so that it’s easier to adapt and adopt across different industries, verticals, and roles. You really only need to reflect on a few key points.
Is this person kind and respectful (to themselves and others)?
- How do they interact with their leadership, their peers, and their direct reports?
- How do they contribute to the morale of their team as well as the company?
- How do they show up for themselves every day?
Do they make a positive impact on the company?
- A lot of times this is answered in the first point mentioned above.
- Do they make someone else’s life easier by performing their job duties in the way that they do?
- Do they receive positive feedback from customers, colleagues, and/or leaders?
Do they serve the company’s mission and vision?
- Warning: If the answer is "no" to this it is most likely a leadership or organizational issue and not an employee performance issue.
- If the employee practices unethical behavior in any way regardless of meeting their goals and quantifiable metrics it should be a no-brainer that they are not successful.
Lastly, it’s imperative that a manager/leader also assess whether or not they have set up an employee/job function for success in their position:
- Have I removed all obstacles to allow for this person to be successful?
- Have I adjusted the role to help maximize their strengths?
- Have I incorporated feedback to allow for a more rewarding experience?
When it comes down to it, a lot of individual success is dependent upon overall leadership at the top and most responsibility for individual employee success falls on the direct manager. More to come here with how company culture affects individual success in the future.
*Experts mentioned above have published in Forbes, SHRM, Harvard Business Review, etc.
—Katie Chew, Digital Marketing Leader
Understanding the Qualitative Impact
BigstockDid you know that despite a lot of research—including on farmed animals—experts still aren’t sure exactly how eels reproduce? That straightforward biological imperative turns out to be much more complex than they expected. It occurred to me that there are similarities between researching eel reproduction and measuring success: aspects of it can be slippery; the timing is important; and it’s easy to measure the wrong thing and/or gather information at the wrong time, and thus reach an inaccurate conclusion.
Quantifying success might seem easy: there are always things to count. As a writer, I could count the number of readers of an article, or the number of comments, likes, and subscriptions it generates over a month. These metrics can miss more valuable information, however. Looking deeper and over a longer time frame can reveal elements that are more meaningful and more enduring. A piece with a “long tail” of readers or comments after its publication date suggests that people are finding more value in it than something that goes viral and rapidly drops from view.
A creative worker’s success can hinge on educating people, or leading them to think about or view a topic differently. They might not provide a directly measurable response, but influencing readers’ thoughts and feelings is a more important and more qualitative measure of success. As a former teacher, I’ve gotten this kind of feedback, sometimes years later; my writing elicits it less frequently, but it’s still always powerful. One way to measure this aspect of success is to search for links to an article after a few months. Combining that with a tally indicating the type of links (positive, negative, or neutral response to the article) yields both quantitative and qualitative measures of success... which are both less slippery than eel reproduction.
—Jackie Ralston, Copy Editor, Proofreader, Writer, Fact-Checker
Holistic Approaches for Sustainable Growth
BigstockWhen it comes to measuring success, the first things that often come to mind are metrics and goals—hitting a target sales figure, meeting hiring quotas, or completing a project under budget. While metrics are essential tools to track progress and ensure you’re on the right path, they’re not the whole story. Success goes deeper than numbers; it’s about the growth, resilience, and collaboration that drive sustainable achievements. Let’s explore some overlooked but critical ways to measure success.
1. Internal Growth and Development
Success isn’t just about what’s accomplished but also about who accomplishes it and how they grow along the way. Investing in your team at all levels—through skill development, mentorship, and leadership opportunities—creates a culture of continuous improvement. When employees feel valued and supported, their confidence grows, and their commitment to the organization deepens. This commitment often translates into higher retention rates, better performance, and a stronger bottom line.
It’s worth noting that education and development are never wasted investments. Even if an employee eventually moves on, the time and effort spent in developing their skills contribute to a positive employer brand and create a network of advocates for your organization.
2. Team Cohesion and Collaboration
Strong team camaraderie is another critical indicator of success. How well does your team work together? Do they trust each other, communicate effectively, and support one another in achieving shared goals? Measuring success here might involve assessing employee engagement scores, gathering feedback during one-on-ones, or observing how readily teams collaborate across departments.
One powerful example of collaboration is the interaction between departments like marketing, sales, and operations. If marketing launches a promotion without informing sales, it can lead to misalignment and customer frustration. Worse, if operations isn’t prepared for the increased demand, it can strain resources and damage customer trust. Success is when departments work seamlessly together, sharing information and prioritizing the organization’s greater good over siloed objectives.
3. Retention and Attrition Rates
A company’s ability to retain talent is one of the clearest indicators of its long-term success. High turnover can be a sign of deeper issues, such as poor management, lack of growth opportunities, or a toxic work culture. Retaining employees ensures institutional knowledge stays within the company, reduces hiring and training costs, and fosters stronger, more capable teams over time.
If employees are constantly leaving, the organization will find itself perpetually in training mode, unable to build the solid foundation needed for sustainable growth. Closing the “back door” by addressing the root causes of attrition is essential to moving from a state of constant catch-up to one of consistent progress.
4. Cross-Departmental Synergy
Success can also be measured by how well different parts of the organization work together. Silos are a barrier to progress, and fostering interdepartmental collaboration is key to overcoming them. Ask yourself:
- Are teams communicating effectively?
- Is there a willingness to share information for the greater good?
- Do all departments understand how their roles contribute to the company’s broader objectives?
When departments align their goals and efforts, the organization becomes more adaptable, innovative, and capable of overcoming challenges. For example, ensuring that marketing communicates promotions with sales and operations leads to a cohesive strategy that delivers value to customers without overburdening the company.
The Bigger Picture
Ultimately, success isn’t just about hitting numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about creating an environment where employees thrive, teams collaborate, and the organization as a whole grows stronger. Metrics will always matter, but they’re just one piece of the puzzle. When you look beyond the numbers, you’ll find a richer, more sustainable definition of success that benefits everyone involved.
—Jaclyn Lucas, Recruiting
Leadership’s Role in Defining Success
BigstockI recently had a job interview for a director-level position with a very large company. One of the questions was, “How do I measure success?” In the moment, I think my answer to the question was pretty spot on. I spoke about return on investment and measuring business impact. I am a learning and development professional and when speaking with other L&D professionals, this is how success is measured:
- Are trainees using the knowledge, skills, and concepts back on the job?
- How does that impact the business?
- Is that impact quantifiable in some way?
- Lastly, how does that quantifiable difference measure up against the investment made in the training program?
As I thought about the interview experience afterward, I think I would radically change my answer. Yes, my initial response does answer the “nuts and bolts” of the question, but I also think that at the level I was interviewing, there is much more of a leadership component baked into measuring success. The responsibility at the department-head level is not only to deliver on goals and hit numbers but also to be a good steward of the human capital on the teams entrusted to my leadership.
- Am I encouraging a growth mindset?
- Do I lead with emotional intelligence and encourage others to build their knowledge in this skill?
- Are the members of my team increasing their skills in their craft?
- Are they being promoted or sought after within the organization?
- Am I a good role model for my team?
As a leader, it is vital that we achieve our goals and hit our numbers. That is always going to be a part of the measure of success. The greater measure of leadership success is how you make your people feel. I would like to think that whatever my flaws, I have remained true to this success measure in leadership.
—Andrew Krajewski, Learning and Development Leader
Our experts on this subject have clearly explained how measuring success cannot be confined to a narrow focus on numbers and goals alone. Furthermore, through their professional experiences, they have found that true success lies in the intangible aspects of work—how individuals grow, how teams collaborate, and the lasting impact they make on the organization. The next time you are reflecting on your job performance, remember to consider your ability to foster positive relationships, contribute to the company culture, and support the company’s mission. By measuring success through this type of lens—one that gives equal weight to qualitative and quantitative measurements—you'll have a much more holistic view of your success as a professional.
