I was listening to an American podcast, and the presenter was lamenting about “things that don’t get measured, don’t get done”. At first, I did not fully understand its impact and, to be honest was turned off by this typical Harvard MBA” kind of wishy-washy language which often finds a home in academic circles. However, further thought on the matter brought into focus the imperative to quantify output in the pursuit of optimum business outcomes.
Accountability is different from Measurement in so far it holds a person responsible for the carrying out or the completion of a task, but Measurement now determines the extent to which the Accountability has been carried out.
Take a very simple example whereby an employee is tasked to move 5 000 bricks from point A to point B per day. If, at the end of each day you check to see that bricks are moved, that is Accountability, but when you count the number of bricks moved and obtain an explanation for days when less are moved, that is Measurement. If you don’t Measure the number of bricks moved daily what you will find is that the quantum will gradually decrease, and the number of excuses will increase proportionally.
It is interesting to see how many of our country’s leaders and the people to whom they are connected are so hell-bent on either being employed, or receiving huge tenders, yet avoid Accountability and Measurement at all costs. We only need to look at the many ministers and deputy ministers who grace our government offices, ride in fancy cars and are protected by armed gangs of security police but are never held to Account. Mildred Oliphant was minister of labour for five years and never attended a single parliamentary portfolio committee meeting.
Many ministers have shied away from the press, who traditionally hold public officers to Account and raise questions relating to Measurement. Yet the appointments carry on unabated. Connected friends, relatives and cadres are appointed to positions where their salaries and other benefits are guaranteed and Accountability and Measurement is avoided. In August last year reports surfaced that ANC ministers were complaining about their DA counterparts who were outshining them. Instead of these ANC ministers improving their output, they did the next best thing and complain. A typical ANC excuse for corruption, incompetence or malfeasance is to blame the West and play the Race card.
In May 2025 South Africa’s former minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane made several ANC connected appointments to the various SETAs. Among these appointments was Buyambo Mantashe as chairperson to MERSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services). Buyambo went to Potchefstroom Boys High, University of Fort Hare and obtained a MSc from the China Agricultural University. His father defended his appointment on the basis that Master Mantashe has a master’s degree and can find job opportunities anywhere in the private sector. That may well be so. With Daddy Mantashe in the wings there are probably several companies in the private sector who would want to keep the Minister of Mineral and
Petroleum Resources happy.
So why work for a SETA? The SETAs are funded by Skills Development Levy that is collected by the South African Revenue Services and technically should be held to Account to the minister of Minerals dear friend, Dr Nkabane. The salary will be around R1M plus any other backhanders or bribes they can muster. Let’s face it, he is an ANC connected person, and it would appear from the revelations of the Madlanga Commission that corruption is part of the ANC’s DNA. Master Mantashe will in all likelihood not be held Accountable and almost certainly not be Measured as to the amount of training desperately needed being provided by the SETA. A R1m salary, together with sizable fringe benefits in the form of bribes and back-handers for his efforts and with no Accountability and Measurement makes it one sweet cushy job!
Those successful entrepreneurs who Measure the smallest output typically escalate Measurement to all facets of the business. How many quotes did I send out? How many quotes have I followed up on? Did I hold my sales manager to Account for the after sales service? – probably yes, but did we Measure how many customers were happy on our first attempt? Did we Measure how many customers were happy on our second attempt and how many customers we did not make happy at all? In far too many instances I have witnessed instances where clients hold staff Accountable but do not Measure their output.
Measurement is often very difficult and entails the most amount of work, thus it is often ignored and left out. Great product, great service with no Measurement means that we have no frame of reference as to the enterprise’s overall productivity and whether or not it is improving.
The ultimate Measurement for an entrepreneur is most often seen in his bank account.
Good luck with your entrepreneurial endeavours and always keep learning.
Peter Carlisle CA (SA)
October 2025
