Why it matters
Teams optimise what's on the dashboard. Pick vanity numbers (followers, raw traffic) and effort flows to vanity; pick fifteen KPIs and you've effectively picked none. The right short list aligns everyone's Tuesday decisions with the year's goal.
How it works
Good KPIs sit close to the money or its leading indicators (qualified enquiries, conversion rate, retention), have an owner and a target, and get reviewed at a rhythm where change is visible. Everything else stays available as diagnostics: consulted when a KPI moves, not worshipped weekly.
What to do about it
Ask: which three numbers, moving the right way for two quarters, would prove the strategy is working? Those are the KPIs. Put them where everyone sees them, and archive the rest.
