Benchmarking has a mixed reputation. For some, it’s motivating. For others, it feels judgemental or disconnected from reality. Too often, it becomes about comparison rather than clarity, about how you stack up against others, rather than whether you’re building the business you actually want.
Used poorly, benchmarking creates noise. Used well, it creates focus. Measurement should serve the business, not the ego.
If you want to know whether your benchmarking is working, ask: Does this help us make better decisions? Does it align with our aspirations? Does it support the future we’re trying to build? If the answer is yes, keep it. If not, let it go.
Benchmarking Done Poorly
- Tracks dozens of numbers without clarity on decisions
- Becomes a scoreboard of comparison against others
- Prioritises last quarter’s goals over next chapter’s needs
- Creates activity without progress or accountability
- Punishes misses - people stop being honest about them
Benchmarking Done Well
- Tracks a small number of meaningful, decision-relevant measures
- Becomes a mirror for self-understanding and improvement
- Starts with context: what stage, what constraint, what’s next?
- Creates shared language that reduces emotion and builds trust
- Allows misses, learning, and adjustment without penalty
Why OKRs Work When Done Properly
1
Clarity of Intent
A good Objective is clear, directional, and human. It answers: what are we actually trying to achieve?
2
Evidence of Progress
A good Key Result is specific, measurable, and honest. It answers: how will we know if it’s happening?
3
Personal OKRs Matter
Help individuals articulate what they’re growing into. When personal and business OKRs align, accountability feels fairer.
4
Discipline Without Rigidity
The best frameworks are light enough to adapt, clear enough to guide, and stable enough to rely on. They support good judgement.
Internal Benchmarks Matter Most
External benchmarks have a role. They provide perspective and challenge blind spots. But they should never override internal clarity.
The most useful benchmarks are often your own performance over time, your own goals clearly stated, and your own agreed priorities.
- Progress against your plan is more meaningful than comparison against someone else’s reality
- What matters changes over time. A growing business should not measure the same things as a mature one
Good benchmarking starts with context: what stage is this business in? What is the next constraint?
How This Supports Long-Term Thinking
Benchmarking done well supports succession, ownership, talent, culture, and vision because it creates shared language.
Instead of: “I feel like we’re not moving fast enough.”
You get: “We agreed this was the priority and here’s what’s changed.”
That shift reduces emotion and increases trust.
A small number of meaningful measures, reviewed regularly, discussed honestly, and adjusted when necessary, will always outperform a complex system no one really uses.
"Not everything that can be measured should be. The right measures are the ones that support the next decision, not the last one. Clarity is the goal. Not comparison."