![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO9Wx8gRRqMF_CRIh4lSLI9WN7VupuzO9tFAoQh7V3NqcsmeSJoDFs12mUAUpSFkB2a6LqB5jmvl0aAoCmYui5xR_4xDkBJ5cbQ4-QGebFsLC-DkxycgWfxLjMgu9Y9bNagnQHgjeDDU/s712/bannisterx-large.jpg)
I would argue that people in business fall prey to this temptation as well. We focus only on the hard numbers - productivity, profit margin, operating efficiency, attendance, etc. - at the expense of qualitative observations that can make a difference. The worst leaders treat their employees as little more than math problems - "What variable x can be manipulated to increase the output y?" The best leaders remember, as Lehrer writes, "Not everything that matters can be measured."
Check out Jonah Lehrer's article here.
- Joel