November 18, 2025

When it comes to execution, having clear priorities is just the first step. The real magic happens when you translate those big-picture goals into a handful of critical numbers that everyone on your team can focus on.

From my perspective, the key is to choose metrics that directly reflect the company's top priorities set in your annual planning. These critical numbers are your leverage points—the small hinges that swing big doors. They're the numbers that, when you move them, have a disproportionate impact on your overall results.

To find these leverage points, we can borrow from The Four Disciplines of Execution and focus on lead measures. Instead of only tracking lag measures like total revenue, identify the small, controllable actions that drive those bigger outcomes. For instance, if your goal is to improve customer retention, your lead measure might be the number of proactive customer calls made each week. If growth is the target, it might be the conversion rate from lead to customer.

As Dan Heath suggests in Reset, small shifts can lead to big changes. By applying that mindset, you can pinpoint those lead measures that serve as your leverage points and then track those as your critical numbers.

Take, for example, a company that initially focused on closing sales as their primary KPI. Their weekly reports centered on the number of deals signed and total revenue booked. While useful, these lagging indicators offered no insight into the day-to-day actions that could actually influence future results.

After reviewing their customer journey, they realized that the key leverage point in their sales process was the product demo. Prospects who saw a demo were significantly more likely to convert. So they made a shift: rather than just tracking closed sales, they began to measure the number of demos scheduled and completed each week.

This lead measure quickly created alignment across sales and marketing. Reps became more focused on setting up high-quality demos, and marketers tailored campaigns to drive demo requests. Within a quarter, they saw a meaningful increase in sales conversions—not because they pushed harder at the bottom of the funnel, but because they created more qualified opportunities earlier in the process. This simple shift in focus turned a big-picture goal into a daily actionable metric.

Be careful not to choose too many numbers or focus on metrics you can't control. A common pitfall is getting lost in data overload. Instead, stick to a few critical numbers that truly act as leverage points and regularly review them. Less is normally more in this area. You are highly likely to successfully accomplish one goal or hit one critical number. You are much less likely to accomplish any goals or hit any metrics if you have eight. Pick the priority and make it the priority!

Finally, remember that your critical numbers might need to evolve. Have weekly meetings to track progress on lead indicators and progress on commitments your team made in the prior week. During quarterly strategic meetings, ensure that your metrics and lagging indicators are still aligned with your goals and adjust them as needed. This keeps your team agile and focused on what truly drives success.