Measure twice. Cut once. A tape measure defines limits before anything is cut. Without measurement, ambition outruns structure.

In Dare to Lead, Brené Brown argues that clarity precedes accountability. Leaders often articulate ambition clearly while leaving boundaries implied, defining what must be achieved but not defining the limits within which that achievement would be invalidated.

She calls this a “stealth expectation.” Brown links stealth expectations directly to boundary failure. When leaders avoid specifying limits, people are left to interpret expectations themselves. Accountability then becomes inconsistent because the boundaries of success were never clearly measured. Ultimately, stealth expectations create resentment because people are held accountable for standards that were never fully defined.

Clarity precedes accountability.

Consider Wells Fargo. In the early 2000s, the bank pursued an explicit cross-sell strategy to increase the number of products per customer. The internal slogan was “Eight is Great.” Checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards and online services were all counted toward the target. Retail banking employees were assigned daily sales quotas. Performance reviews and compensation structures were tied directly to achieving those targets.

The metric was visible and measurable.

Banking is a highly regulated industry. Regulatory frameworks were assumed to constrain behaviour. Management did not design targets expecting employees to override compliance requirements. The expectation was that professional standards and regulatory obligations would operate as guardrails.

But incentives signal priority.

As sales goals became more difficult to achieve, the rate of regulatory noncompliance increased.  Funding rates declines, and terminations for sales integrity violations rose.

Control functions operated transactionally rather than systemically.  Risk, HR, audit and legal each saw fragments.  No one integrated the full pattern early enough.

The result: Cross-sell ratios improved. Targets were met.

In 2016, regulators announced $185 million in initial penalties related to unauthorised account openings. Subsequent settlements and remediation costs reached into the billions. In 2018, the Federal Reserve imposed an asset growth cap restricting the bank’s expansion until governance reforms were completed. Senior executives forfeited substantial compensation through clawbacks. Market capitalisation fluctuated significantly as trust eroded.

At Wells Fargo, growth was defined precisely, but boundaries were not weighted with equal force.

Brown’s argument is about fully defining success. Clear is kind. Clarity means stating not only the goal but also the guardrail. Leaders who avoid that specificity often mistake ambiguity for flexibility. A tape measure asks how long the cut should be and where it must stop.

In leadership, this means answering many questions upfront. For example: what success includes, what invalidates success, what the risk appetite is, what behaviour overrides performance and what non-negotiables stand regardless of outcome?

When only the headline metric is measured, teams optimise for that metric. Measurement without defined limits creates predictable distortion.

Leadership requires measuring ambition and boundary with equal precision.

A Question For You:

If someone examined your organisation’s incentive structures, what behaviours would they conclude are truly valued?

A Small Step:

Take one target currently tied to compensation. Write down the conditions that would nullify success even if the numeric goal is achieved.

References:

1. Brown B. (2018). Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough conversations. Whole Hearts. Random House.
2. Tayan B. (2019). The Wells Fargo Cross-Selling Scandal. Stanford Graduate School of Business, Corporate Governance Research Initiative.