This week, our team released our annual prediction report, “10 Next Gen Metrics for Future-Oriented Leaders” — a piece designed to directly addresses the speed of change and shifting societal and business dynamics. If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, click here to unlock what we call the 2025 metrics that matter.

Our prediction piece is based upon a simple but powerful premise ….

Default metrics no longer tell the full picture, nor can they alone be used to calibrate business performance, impact, and viability. Instead, we need to augment default with next gen metrics that introduce fresh, multi-pronged, future-oriented approaches to put numbers to historically hard to measure areas.

Modern leaders know that the stakes have been raised when it comes to gauging true impact across critical business drivers. Innovation, risk and velocity may be familiar business concepts, but future-thinking leaders understand that these areas require disruptive approaches to measurement. That’s where the power of next gen metrics is truly unearthed.

As you dive into the report, you’ll see metrics that can be used both org- and departmental-wide — be it Product teams, Marketing departments, Financial teams, and so on. But today, I want to call out one of my favorite metrics we created …

Core Value Differentiation

There’s no disputing that organizations see the value of leading with values. Research shows that nearly 80% of large companies have corporate values. But slapping core values on a website, or embedding in new hire recruitment strategies, is just the starting point. If businesses are to fully lean into core values creation and dissemination, it’s time for us to connect values to their ability to drive dollars and cents — showing how values influence customer acquisition, organizational vitality, marketing efficacy, etc.

That’s the intent of Core Value Differentiation. To give companies and leaders a way to connect this all-important initiative to the ability to future-proof an organization and directly impact health and growth. In many ways, Core Value Differentiation serves as a foundational measure that can make or break business vitality. While metrics that surround technology adoption, pace of innovation, AI preparedness are no doubt fundamental, these “tools” are only as effective as the people (our human capital and IP) that define, implement, govern and activate them.

Core Value Differentiation serves as a cultural blueprint for teams to organize around:

• Words (core values) drive action
• Those actions align to vision and strategy
• The alignment of those behaviors are then measured, charted, and adjusted based on insights (data)
• And suddenly, values shift from fuzzy narratives and emerge as disruptive competitive advantage

Said differently, core values when created, evangelized, and actualized absolutely create unique differentiation that drives client loyalty, delivers on TOTAL experience and accelerates the pace of innovative-derived growth in an otherwise ubiquitous or commoditized world.

Official Release: SQA Unveils Annual Next-Gen Metrics Prediction Piece

When teams understand and share collective thought processes and belief systems, the business impact is TANGIBLE. Friction points and obstacles pivot into positive opportunities to innovate. Goals like quality or client experience move beyond a role or function and become embedded standard operating procedures… not just following steps of process but passionately delivered by the brand in its entirety.

There is a subtle but profound ROI when leaders lean into Core Value Differentiation as a metric. The words move beyond concepts, philosophy and ideology; and interpretation and adoption is harmonized as the organization lands on a collective and clear definition of the desired state or outcomes intended.

For example, let’s say an organization’s core value is “we create great client experiences.” This value, in simple words, is powerful. But being able to prove that this value — when lived out by sales, delivery, customer success teams — directly leads to client up- and cross-sells, repeat business, word of mouth, etc., now takes the value from concept to ROI-impacting. While common sense suggests that core values definition exercises are imperative and pragmatic, it’s the data itself that emerges as the secret ingredient. What data science brings to the conversation is the culmination of art and numbers that manifest in new ways to acquire information…the information informs leaders and enables behaviors.

As you browse through the metrics, our team is here to dive deeper into any that would have big impact in your business; you can click here to grab some time with our team. In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from our report, showing Core Value Differentiation brought to life!