Back in my corporate days, I had a habit my seniors didn't always love—I kept questioning how we did reviews.

Every performance cycle, conversations zoomed in on numbers: revenue per head, utilisation rates, punctuality, customer acquisition costs, compliance checklists, you name it.

The focus was always: "Did you hit the target or not?"

And I would sit there thinking: But what about the person behind those numbers?

So I began asking questions like:

  1. Are we reviewing outcomes, or are we reviewing the journey?
  2. Do we only care about targets, or the courage it took to speak up in a tough meeting?
  3. If Excel sheets can report performance, how do we capture potential?

Some seniors dismissed it, some frowned, a few leaned in.

But I held my ground, because numbers never told the whole story.

Cut2: A conversation that hit home.

Just last evening, I met a young, talented professional. She's sharp, diligent, and fiercely committed.

She told me her CEO had asked:
"Do you know the business numbers on your fingertips?
Revenue, margins, conversion rates, YoY growth"—she knew them all.

Then she paused and said:
"Sometimes I wonder… do they know the effort behind those numbers?"

That landed deeply.

Why Reviews Often Miss the Point

Most reviews over-focus on: conversions, sales, utilisation, attendance, CSAT scores, and target vs. actual numbers.

But they overlook the intangibles:

  1. The courage to challenge the participants in a tense meeting
  2. Quiet mentoring of a struggling teammate
  3. The 14-hour days no one asked for
  4. The creative spark that unlocked a solution
  5. The emotional labour of holding a team together during change

As Liz Wiseman says: "Excel sheets can report performance; they can't reveal potential."

Redefining Reviews

Metrics feel safe, they create an illusion of control.
But as Deming said:
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

Data can tell you what happened.
It can't tell you why, how, or who showed up when it mattered most.

So if you’re a manager, leader, or CEO, ask yourself:

  • Do you review outcomes, or journeys?
  • Do you measure performance, or nurture growth?
  • Do you look at KPIs, or human character?

Because the best businesses aren't built on numbers alone.

They're built on people who rise, stretch, care, stumble, get up again and grow.

Over to you: Have you ever felt reduced to just your numbers?
What do you wish your leaders saw in you beyond the spreadsheet?