Are Your KPIs Driving Growth or Just Putting on a Show?
KPI Theatre happens when metrics look impressive but fail to deliver outcomes.
Dashboards can entertain executives, but if they don’t connect to margin, contribution, or sustainability, they’re theatre (not strategy.)
↓ Scroll down to learn how to identify KPI Theatre at play in your business ↓
What We Mean by KPI Theatre
KPI Theatre is when metrics perform for the spotlight but don’t move the business forward. It’s vanity dashboards, disconnected data, and activity masquerading as contribution.
Leadership presentations with glowing KPIs but declining margins
If your board sees growth metrics but profit isn’t moving, you’re watching KPI Theatre.
“Why does pipeline velocity stall even when marketing reports look strong?”
Are you measuring activity instead of contribution to shareholder value?
Marketing reports full of clicks and impressions but no revenue lift.
“Why do my metrics look good, but revenue isn’t growing?”
If your dashboards show clicks and opens but not contribution, you’re in KPI Theatre.
Are you chasing ROAS benchmarks while margin quietly erodes?
Operations dashboards showing SLA compliance while clients churn
If SLA compliance looks perfect but clients are still churning, you’re in KPI Theatre.
“Why do utilization numbers look high but delivery feels chaotic?”
Are you tracking hours instead of outcomes?
Theatre / Arts Managers
click here
If ticket sales look strong but audience loyalty is flat, you’re in KPI Theatre.
“Why do attendance numbers look good, but donations aren’t growing?”
Are you measuring applause instead of sustainability?
Specific Theatre KPI Solutions
KPI Theatre wastes time, erodes trust, and hides risk. Leaders make decisions based on numbers that look good but don’t reflect reality.
-
![A smiling man in a suit sitting on an airplane.]()
VISION
VANITY TARGETS
When KPIs chase benchmarks instead of business reality, vision gets distorted. CAC and ROAS targets look impressive on slides, but they’re disconnected from margin, contribution, and P&L. The result? Metrics that perform for the boardroom but don’t move the business forward. -
![Promotional graphic with a central portrait of a man with dark hair and beard, wearing a brown jacket and blue turtleneck, outdoor background. Left text: 'Turn Strategy Sideways See What Moves'. Top left icons: crane, lock. Bottom left: logo with a graph and 'Growth Spectrum LLC'. Top right: tools and gear icons. Center right: screenshot of chat conversation. Bottom right: brick wall icon.]()
STRUCTURE
DISCONNECTED DASHBOARDS
Dashboards often pile up data without rhythm or integration. Media spend, demand curves, and ops metrics live in silos. Leaders see numbers, but not systems. Structure breaks down when KPIs entertain executives instead of guiding delivery cadence and operational clarity. -
![A woman smiling while wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a colorful background and graphics related to leadership models, growth spectrum, and friendly flower icons.]()
CULTURE
ACTIVITY OVER CONTRIBUTION
Teams get rewarded for activity metrics—emails sent, impressions logged, hours tracked—while contribution goes unseen. Culture slips into KPI Theatre when dashboards reinforce busyness instead of outcomes, creating friction and disengagement instead of trust and alignment. -
![Portrait of a smiling man with short hair and sunglasses on his head, standing on a staircase in an indoor setting.]()
EXECUTION
BURNED HOURS, MISSED OUTCOMES
Execution KPIs often measure speed or volume without tying back to impact. Campaigns scale prematurely, delivery teams chase utilization, and dashboards celebrate throughput while outcomes stall. KPI Theatre in execution looks like motion without momentum.
Looking to Exit KPI Theatre?
Growth Spectrum can help you organize your KPIs and Dashboards like a cockpit. Measures and gauges strategically aligned and organized for when you need them. (i.e. “when does the fuel gauge matter?”, “why should I care about tire pressure?”, “out of context, what does my speedometer tell me?”)
Every metric and KPI doesn’t matter in all situations.
Boards, CEOs, and Founders
Click Here for KPI & Dashboard Solutions
Click Here for Executive Coaching Solutions
CMOs, Sales Directors, and Marketers
Click Here for KPI & Dashboard Solutions
Click Here for Marketing & MarTech Solutions
Operations, PMO, and Delivery
Click Here for KPI & Dashboard Solutions
Click Here for PMO & Delivery Solutions
Theatre and Arts Managers
click here
We have specialized solutions for your unique situation.
Specific Theatre KPI Solutions
So You Can Do This…
Align metrics with business outcomes, not internal optics
Reward contribution, not compliance
Build quadrant-aligned scorecards that reflect strategic clarity, process integrity, emotional honesty, and execution rigor
Coach teams to think like owners, not operators
We Do This …
At Growth Spectrum, we help executives and leaders:
Diagnose misaligned principal-agent relationships
Reframe your metrics around business impact
Build a culture of contribution, experimentation, and strategic clarity
You’re One Diagnosis Away From Momentum
Take this 20‑question (2-minute) assessment and get a personalized report that shows you exactly where your business is stuck, and what to do next.