Effective metrics drive the results you want

This week I attended the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Washington, D.C.  I attended a lot of very good sessions, but the one that left the biggest mark on me was a session called "Metrics That Matter," delivered by Jeffrey Wheatman.

I went to this session because I've had a lot of conversations with information security executives this year, and a common question is "What should I really be measuring?," or they make comments like "I report on a lot of things, but I am not sure what the top indicators are that I should roll up to my executive team."

My initial reason for attending this session was for my "day job" as the CTO of a tech company, but I feel like I can "generify" Wheatman's guidelines to apply to anything that needs to be measured & tracked.

1. Effective metrics must support the business's goals, and the connection to those goals should be clear.
2. Effective metrics must be controllable. (In other words, don't report on things that "just happen" - report on things you can drive up or down with your own, direct actions).
3. Effective metrics must be quantitative, not qualitative.  If you need to measure something "softer" like customer satisfaction, find a way to make it quantitative, such as with a method like Net Promoter Score.
4. Effective metrics must be easy to collect and analyze. (Wheatman says "If it takes 3 weeks to gather data that you report on monthly, you should find an easier metric to track.")
5. Effective metrics are subject to trending.  (Tracking progress and setting targets is vital to get people to pay attention)

This set of guidelines really resonated with me, and I am going to run my metrics through this regimen to make my own metrics better.  If you're a Gartner client, there is a detailed research report from Wheatman on this topic, and I suggest you grab a copy.

I've also learned that it helps to simplify how you report on metrics.  When dealing with executives, stick with small numbers and primary colors - and when you get senior enough, try to boil it down to up/down, happy/sad.

What about you - do you have any best practices to share around metrics?  Could you apply these to your own individual metrics or self-improvement goals?

Cheat codes for your real life

I was just reading an interesting compilation of "cheat codes" for real life on Reddit.  I play quite a few video games, and I'm familiar with cheat codes there - you can use them to gain access to special weapons, gain super strength, open up hidden challenges, and things like that.  I've used them a few times myself.

The list on Reddit is similar - special commands, sequences, etc. you can use in real life to gain advantages.

The full list or real life cheats is very entertaining (be warned, there is some adult language in there!) - here are a few I really liked from the list:

 #1. Stop: Stop: Play. Skip advertisements in movies and go straight to the movie.

#17. Can't find your car in a parking lot? hitting the lock button trying to get it to beep? Extend the distance of key-less entry by putting the key under your chin. The signal will resonate in your skull increasing the range dramatically. I swear to god this works, and I'm told it's safe because the radiation is non-ionizing.

#23. To peel a boiled egg, roll it around on your plate for a while until all of the eggshell is cracked evenly. Then it's easy to remove the complete shell at once. After you boil eggs immediately place them in ice cold water for a few minutes. No vinegar or salt or oil or whatever people use. Shells slip right off

#53. On flights, if you are fighting for an arm rest with a stranger. bring your arm (the one thats on the same side the arm rest you want) up to your mouth and sneeze/cough. Then place it by the armrest. The other person will move their arm. Has had 100% success rate.

There are a bunch more.  I can't vouch for whether they all work, but some of them are things I want to try (#53, for example).

Also, on #23 for peeling boiled eggs, I have my own little tricks for boiling eggs:  

• When you are going to boil eggs, put them in the water while it is still cold and let them warm up with the water - this greatly reduces the likelihood that the shells will crack during the cooking process. (You can further reduce the chances of cracking by letting the eggs warm up for 15-30 minutes after you take them out of the fridge.
• To make them easier to peel, add 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda (not baking powder) to the water before you boil them.  It doesn't affect the taste of the eggs at all, but it definitely makes it easier to peel the eggs - particularly if you peel them while their still warm.
• Also, the fresher your eggs are, the easier they are to peel.

Got any real-life "cheats" of your own?

MacBook Air field guide: privacy and safety

A couple of months ago, I switched to using an Apple MacBook Air as my primary system and I really like it (I have the 13" version, and was moving from the a MacBook Pro).  The Macbook Air is a very small, light computer with great battery life and a very nice screen.

Since this switch has driven a few changes in some of my accompanying accessories, I thought I'd share some of the accessories I've found that I really like.

Note:  All of the items below are available for other computers - if you don't use a MacBook Air, simply click one of the links below and adjust the search to find one for your computer.

I like my privacy

I spend a lot of time on airplanes, as well as working with my computer in public spaces.  For years, I've been a big fan of 3M's privacy filters to keep curious eyes out of my business.  When I first switched to the MacBook Air, I ordered one of the 3M privacy filters, but I wasn't happy - the filter fit just fine, but I got this strange moiré pattern on the screen and couldn't stand it, so I ended up returning the filter.  I don't like to travel with a "naked" screen, so I continued to do research on this.   

I found that 3M makes a specific model number that works with the MacBook Air, as these computers have a higher-res screen than normal notebook computers, and they need a special filter to prevent screen distortion.  I ordered one of these higher-resolution filters and I really love it.  I also moved from the standard, grey-toned privacy filters I've always used to the newer, gold-toned privacy filter and I think I like the gold ones better.

If you have a MacBook Air, the correct privacy filter will include "…MA…" in the model number - those are the ones specifically for the MacBook Air.  You can find the 3M Gold Privacy Filter for the MacBook Air (GPFMA13 for 13" computers, and GPFMA11 for 11" computers) on Amazon.  You can also get it in the "normal" grey-tone filter if you don't want the shiny gold effect (PFMA13 for 13" computers, and PFMA11 for 11" computers).

If you haven't seen these in action before, they do a great job of limiting the opportunity to shoulder surf while you're working on your computer.  If you look at the computer screen straight-on, you see a normal screen, but as you move to the side, the image becomes unreadable.  Be aware- you will have to turn up your brightness a notch or two while using these, as they do absorb some of the light, but I think it is worth it.  You can easily remove the screen if you want to allow others to see what is on the screen.

I like to protect my screen

One of the unfortunate drawbacks of using these privacy filters is that they add a bit of thickness to the screen, which can make the screen rub against the keyboard.  Over time, this can cause a key-shaped abrasion pattern on the privacy filter, with a buildup of scratches up over time.  

To prevent this, I've always used RadTech's Screensaverz - microfiber screen protection cloths.  Not only do they prevent abrasion between the keys and the screen, they also prevent the transfer of finger oil (from the keyboard to the screen), and they double as cleaning cloths.

This is another area where a MacBook Air-specific version of the product makes a big difference.  I tried to repurpose my RadTech Screensavrz cloth from my previous computer, but it was too thick for the MacBook Air and prevented the screen from closing fully.  You can order the RadTech Screensavrz from Amazon, as well - I got the "Indigo" version.

And, I like to protect the computer itself

One of the main draws for a MacBook Air is its light weight.  I decided to try another RadTech product to help protect the computer as I carry it around:  RadTech Radsleevz (yeah, I know - funky spelling…) in matching Indigo.  Man, was this a good choice.  These are extremely thin, and make it easy to hold on to my computer while I carry it around.  It is form-fitting for the computer, and adds almost zero bulk to my MacBook Air.  That means I can stick it in my bag without taking a lot of room, and its TSA-friendly design means I just drop it in the bin in the interrogation line at the airport.

So, if you're a MacBook Air user like me, I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to travel light while protecting your privacy, your screen, and the pretty silver case of your computer.

Go pitch yourself

I get a lot of calls from various technology vendors in my day job.  Some of the "pitches" are good, but most are mediocre.  This week I got one I found to be particularly lousy - and it was a voice mail, which was intended to get me interested enough about the vendor to call them back.

What do you do?

Here are some of the problems I found with this particular message:

• I have no idea who this company is.  Their name was "cool sounding" but absolutely not descriptive.  This in itself is not a problem - the problem is that I listened to the pitch but it never told me anything about why I should call back.
• I have no idea what this company does.  The description - and this is a direct quote - was, "We deliver powerful capabilities through our platform, using  patented technology."  What?

I played this message for my wife and we laughed at how ridiculously vague this statement is.

Needless to say, they didn't get me to call back, which was their desired result.

At least you got that right...

Granted, they did get a few things right on the call:

• They did say their company name, clearly enough for me to understand it.
• They did provide their name and contact number, and even repeated the number slowly so I could write it down.

But that wasn't enough.

What's your pitch?

That got me thinking - when I leave messages about my company, am I any better?  I came up with a good little "exercise" that I'd like to share here:

• Call and leave yourself a voice mail, as if you were "cold calling" someone about your business, with the goal of having them call you back to find out more.
• Listen to the message and see if you would call yourself back.  
• Is it clear what you have to offer?
• Is the message short and to the point?
• Is it clear why what you do would be valuable to someone who doesn't know about your company?
• Is it clear who you are and how to get back in touch with you?
• Bonus points: Did you give them the option of calling you back or emailing you?
• If you missed the mark, adjust your pitch, call back, and try again until you are happy with your message.
• Now that you're happy with it, recruit a friend or relative that isn't "close" to your business, and ask them to critique your message based on the same kind of criteria.  Once again, use their input to adjust and tune your message.

I found some rough edges in my own pitch, for sure.  Not as bad as that guy who told me, "We deliver powerful capabilities through our platform, using  patented technology," but I had some room for improvement.

 Give it a try - pitch yourself - and see what you learn.

Accountability and granularity

Lately, I've been involved in a debate about accountability  What's at the heart of the debate? Clarity regarding how much detail is required  for someone to feel like they have enough information to hold another person accountable.  

In my particular debate, the question revolves around accountability for some longer term goals.  The person making the commitment, let's call them Mr. Committer,  has made some bold declarations (more directional in nature, although there are some measurable aspects that are clear enough to give a "pass / fail" grade).  These declarations won't be complete for at least a year.

Starting with these bigger picture goals, Mr. Committer created a sort of "work back" list - in other words, they began to break the larger commitment down into smaller steps and arranging them in a sensible order, to create an execution plan.

When this person presented their plan to two other people for review, there was a lot of consternation from one of the managers (let's call her Ms. Stickler) along the lines of, "Hey, I don't have enough here to hold you accountable," or "I don't know what to hold you accountable for."  

Break down the breakdown

As we began to disect the situation, we discovered that the issue was primarily one of detail:

• Ms. Stickler wanted a fully-fleshed out plan with way more detail than had been presented.
• Mr. Committer complained that he wanted to be held accountable for his results - the "big commit" - and not the specific steps followed to achieve the results.
• Ms. Stickler asked, "How can I hold you accountable over the next few months if I don't have a specific set of steps you'll be following?"
• Mr. Committer retorted, "A lot can change as I learn along the way and I don't want to be locked in - how can I innovate with you bearing down on me about specific steps so early in the process?!?"
• and so forth…

Shift the focus

So how can we break this conflict?  In our case, we are trying to focus less on the detailed steps along the way and, instead, have been brainstorming some interim indicators that must be met regardless of the detailed steps we choose to follow.

This, in itself, is still a difficult discussion, but it is far more productive (and far less stifling) than a debate about what specific steps will be taken.  In other words, I think we've successfully shifted the emphasis away from the activity, and toward a focus on the desired results.

This transition has been difficult, because we are fighting human nature and personalities in the process (detailed/control-oriented personalities vs. big picture/don't micromanage me personalities).

Any tips or techniques I can steal from you?

I'm sure we didn't get to this point in the easiest way possible.  Have you seen this kind of situation before?  Have you cracked the code (or at least come up with best known methods to make this easier)?

I'd love to hear your proven techniques for dealing with this kind of issue - please share!