Leading and Lagging KPIs. Or: How I got into running

KPIs are a business tool, only for the 9-5 grind? I thought so, too. Today, I love how they can create focus, also in the personal space. You can even communicate dependencies of goals clearly. I’ll use how I got into running last year as an example.

The obvious main KPI for the sport of running is to measure the distance each run and increase a bit each time. As a consequence, you will burn more calories and improve your fitness. Agreed, this sounds boring. When I started running, I chose 6 kilometers as my first goal distance. This was my thinking, put into a KPI:

🏃 KPI Attempt #1:
📈 Increase kilometers running per run from 6k to 10k over 3 months.

It’s boring because it often doesn’t reflect reality. We’re not machines that can output a few hundred more meters each run. Treating ourselves like that won’t get us the results we want.

It didn’t work at all. It was too much for my out-of-shape body, and I got severe headaches after each run. Instead of increasing my distance weekly, I found excuses not to start running. Instead of a trackable and empowering goal, I became demotivated.

I changed my running approach. Instead of focusing on kilometers, I focused on consistency first. Here, leading and lagging KPIs come into play. They capture a connection between indicators. Progress on the leading one will eventually move the lagging one:

🏃 KPI Attempt #2:
🔁 Leading KPI: Run weekly for 20 minutes for the next 3 months.
📈 Lagging KPI: Run 6k per week.

This became a better motivator. I felt good about running each week, even though the distances were short. It started to be fun! A bit later, I had enough energy to increase the distance.

After a year of running, I’ve made it a habit. I’m no longer tracking consistency because I want to run each week anyways. I am finally back at my initial KPI of increasing the distance. After all, our body is a bit like a machine, just a more complicated one…

Here’s what I learned:

💡 Start with one simple KPI. Treat it as a starting point and evolve it.
💡 KPIs need to work for you, too! Otherwise, they become a demotivator.
💡 If you can’t see progress on a KPI, consider adding a leading KPI.