In my last post: “Why do so many strategies fail in execution? 7 Common Challenges”, Lawrence Lein made a powerful observation:

“Many organisations are stuck in this cycle year after year, and this is exacerbated by the fact that most of us would wish away the measurement part and just ride on.”

This is a critical insight. Too often, organisations focus on ambitious strategies and bold initiatives, yet they resist the one thing that can truly drive execution: meaningful measurement.

But why does measurement get pushed aside?

• It’s seen as bureaucratic or too complex.
• It’s mistaken for performance evaluation rather than a tool for learning and improvement.
• It’s based on vanity metrics that don’t connect to real results.

This is where PuMP (Performance Measurement Process) changes the game. Stacey Barr’s approach to measurement, PuMP, isn’t just about measurement for the sake of compliance—it’s about making strategy execution easy, data-driven, and transparent.

PuMP helps organisations break the cycle by designing measures that tell the truth about performance. It removes the fear associated with measurement by focusing on improvement rather than judgment. It connects every team’s work to the overall strategy using tools like the Results Map, giving clarity on what matters.

The real question is: Are we willing to stop “riding on” and start measuring what truly matters?

How has measurement (or the lack of it) impacted execution in your organisation?