What the Ozarks, food technology and cancer have to teach us about aligning metrics for success

Continuing the war on drugs vs. fighting it, food tech that exacerbates food inequality rather than filling the gap, and a denial of information that could lead us to end cancer - all present evidence that we must redefine our metrics of success and aim for a very different kind of target. 

Fueling the war on drugs
Possible spoiler alert for season 4 of the Ozarks

Marty and Wendy are on the cusp of freedom from their money laundering life, from drug lords and cartels, and from cremating bodies in the middle of the night. But their plans are thwarted thanks to an FBI agent that actually does her job and goes “rogue” against her boss who admonishes her righteousness, laughing, “We are not here to actually win the war on drugs”. The true mission of the FBI, she goes on to explain, is to develop partnerships with the cartels and keep an insider eye on supply and demand.

The “War on Drugs” is not being optimized to eradicate drugs, but to justify the existence of  those hired to fight the so-called-war. At some point, in this fictitious, but albeit too real scenario, the agency hired to help solve the problem somehow loses sight of the big picture and overall goal, and instead focuses on self-serving needs and objectives.   

This is a fundamental misalignment of metrics for success. We’ve sadly, seen it before.

Continuing World Hunger
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“The shutdown of slaughtering and meat-packing plants in response to Covid-19 caused troubles upstream, forcing farmers to kill and dispose of livestock that were too expensive to feed without the certainty of sales. This is what happens when a system fine-tuned for efficiency, productivity, and profit collides with a shock” - Fabio Parasecoli, a Professor in the Dept. of Nutrition and Food Studies at NYU wrote in MIT Tech Review.

The metrics of food technology success are profit driven, and not aligned to actually end hunger. In one example, they are specifically optimized for patent owners of genetically modified strains of wheat, soybeans and corn that could easily be shared with farmers in Africa and East Asia and applied to local crops such as taro and cassava to create more resilient crops and a healthier food system. But “they aren’t, because that wouldn’t generate profits large enough to interest the private biotech sector”, Parasecoli wrote. 

It is worth noting that as of the writing of this article there are cumulatively 6.2 million deaths from COVID-19, but compare that to 20+ million deaths from hunger in the same time period. I compare these because hunger could have been prevented had the metrics for “success” included a focus on decreasing world hunger…

What’s hiding beneath the iceberg of Cancer

The “war on cancer” officially started in 1971 with President Nixon’s National Cancer Act to fuel financing for cancer research. Cancer was then the second leading cause of death in the U.S. and now, half a century later – guess what? Cancer is STILL the second leading cause of death in the U.S. (and the leading cause of death worldwide). 

The war on cancer could have ended a long time ago had eastern philosophy been embraced along with western technological advances as part of a holistic preventative care system (and in some places this is being done). 

Once again, the metrics for success are myopically focused on profit alone and rarely is patient health actually optimized. Thousand-year-old practices like breathing, downtime, good sleep and diet are rarely prescribed or even discussed with patients, the focus being on drug alternatives and costly therapies. 

In my own pre-cancer health journey, never once did a doctor ask me about my lifestyle, diet, or general mental health state and never once was it suggested that I consider how these could affect my health. It was only after several surgical procedures that I discovered the answers on my own (and in short it has EVERYTHING to do with lifestyle, diet and stress). 

Science is just now catching up to “prove” what many of our ancient ancestors knew and believed for centuries. So my question is WHY isn’t this information even shared or suggested to patients? Patients who are willing to go through experimental drug trials, to be prodded and poked and injected with who knows what…wouldn’t they want to know about the existence of these resources as well? 

What this means for aligning metrics for success

What we aim for is where we land. Energy flows where our attention goes. And attention naturally goes toward optimizing for the goals and objectives we (or our companies, societies, communities) have set for ourselves. 

So the question is how can we align with solutions rather than self-fulfilling or company-aggrandizement goals? 

The consistent practice of mindfulness and meditation helps you recognize where you’re placing your focus (and where energy is flowing). Eventually we move beyond identification with our thoughts (and egos) to realizing we are not our thoughts and it is from this “wiser self” perspective we can set our aim and focus.

What are the KPIs that drive you and your company? Have you considered incorporating KPIs that include: 

• Employee health and wellbeing (as evidenced by mental health, number of sick days and leave)
• Engagement + motivation (as evidenced by alignment between company and individual values)

Have you reflected on the following for your company?:

• Where are we headed? Why does it matter? How does each team member contribute and do they know and understand their value?
• Are we aware of our individual metrics for success? Do we need a “reframe” to live in alignment with our values?
• What resources do we need to support us and what boundaries need to be put in place to align on values and real success?

Let me know how this lands for you. As usual, I just ask that we are kind in how we pose questions and we have an open mind in exploring this path together.