What Gets Measured Gets Done

Drucker’s Wisdom in Action

Peter Drucker famously said, “What gets measured gets done.” Though deceptively simple, those five words have shaped how high-performing organizations - across both the private and public sectors - drive real results.

Take Amazon, for instance. The company measures what matters, relentlessly. If a fulfillment center is lagging behind, it’s flagged. If a third-party seller delivers a poor customer experience, it’s tracked and addressed. Metrics shape every meeting, guide every dashboard, and influence every major decision. It’s no coincidence that Amazon can promise next-day delivery to millions of households. Their entire operation runs on Drucker’s core insight: measure the right things, and you can deliver the right outcomes.

But what does this look like in the public sector - especially when lives are on the line?

Just yesterday, Chris Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Chicago Field Division, posted about the annual “Year in Review” for the Chicago Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC). I had the opportunity to work with Chris in the past and have always admired his leadership, so his post caught my attention. It was a real-world example of Drucker’s mantra in action.

Measuring performance - especially in complex, cross-jurisdictional environments like violent crime prevention - isn’t always intuitive. It takes more than dashboards and spreadsheets. It takes leadership - the kind that brings together different agencies with different mandates and cultures to have honest conversations about what’s working and what’s not.

In Chicago, the CGIC’s “Year in Review” isn’t just an annual recap. It reflects a year’s worth of coordination, built on quarterly meetings with 13 local, state, and federal partners, all working toward a common goal: interrupt the cycle of gun violence through better data, improved clearance rates, and real-time intelligence sharing.

And who shows up says everything.

In the room: the U.S. Attorney, Illinois Attorney General, Cook County State’s Attorney, Chicago Police Superintendent, Cook County Sheriff, the Special Agents in Charge from every federal agency in the region, and the Illinois State Police. That kind of high-level commitment shows just how seriously the region is taking the mission - and how much credibility the CGIC model has earned.

Behind Every Success Story: A Culture of Accountability

In New Jersey, Drucker’s wisdom has taken on a name of its own. Their weekly, data-driven violent crime reduction meeting is named after the “measurement that matters”: the goal of the reduction efforts. It’s more than just a clever title. It’s a weekly reminder for everyone in the room -federal, state, and local partners - that they’re accountable to a shared mission, not just their own agency goals.

In early 2023, the New Jersey State Police set a bold benchmark: U1K - short for “under 1,000” shooting victims for the year. They got there through a mix of crime analysis, intelligence sharing, cross-jurisdictional collaboration, and the smart use of technology to identify and target the individuals driving gun violence. The result? By the end of 2023, they had reduced the number of victims to 924.

That success didn’t lead to celebration - it led to a new goal: U9C (“under 900”). In 2024, they pushed that number even lower - to 778 victims. That’s what leadership looks like when it’s focused, transparent, and driven by the right measurements.

Daily Discipline: The NYPD’s Morning Brief

Just across the Hudson, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has turned daily measurement into a strategic ritual. Every morning, they host the Gun Violence Strategic Partnership meeting - that concentrates enforcement efforts on the individuals and crews driving violence.

But this isn’t just an NYPD show. It’s a collaborative meeting involving prosecutors from all five boroughs, federal partners, and state agencies. Together, they create a real-time feedback loop between law enforcement and the courts. Prosecutors sit with investigators to build better cases faster and align on strategy for illegal firearm possession and shooting-related incidents.

And it’s getting results.

As of the first quarter of 2025, shootings in New York City are down 23.1% (140 vs. 182), and murders have declined by an astonishing 34.4% (63 vs. 96) compared to the same period last year. Even more impressive, March 2025 saw the lowest number of homicides ever recorded for that month in city history.

These gains are no accident. They’re the product of daily accountability, cross-agency coordination, and a relentless focus on what truly matters—all grounded in Drucker’s timeless principle.

Drucker’s Lasting Legacy: Measure with Purpose

Across the country, law enforcement agencies are realizing that the right metrics - used effectively - can quite literally save lives. Achieving this, however, requires sustainable processes and infrastructure, often powered by technology, to support the collection, analysis, and reporting of performance data.

Whether it’s tracking how long it takes to process a NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistics Information Network) lead, tracing a firearm, or clearing a shooting case, measurement creates a culture of follow-through, accountability, and impact.

The outcome? Justice for victims. Resolution for families. Peace for neighborhoods.

Peter Drucker didn’t champion metrics as a form of control - he saw them as a tool for purpose. He believed organizations exist to make people’s lives better, and that clearly defined goals and consistent measurement are essential to fulfilling that mission.

So, take a page from Drucker, or from Chicago, New Jersey, New York - or even Amazon.

Start with one question: What are the results that matter most to your mission? Then work backward. Define them. Measure them. And most importantly, follow up relentlessly.

Because in the end, what gets measured doesn’t just get done - it gets better. It gets owned. And over time, it changes everything.