When data fuels collaboration.
What is the ultimate KPI? KPIs are more than numbers. They reflect people, progress, and trust. When leaders measure success with intention, they create momentum that inspires lasting growth.
A new type of KPI.
As organizations get cluttered with data, being intentional about how we create and share insights has become a necessity. By reframing KPIs from numbers to Keeping Partners Informed, Travel South USA transformed data overload into clarity, trust, and shared momentum across 12 states.
KPIs as a lens for people-centric leadership.
A few years back, my husband, an executive in the dairy industry, returned from an industry event with a perspective that stuck with me. He described a discussion at a dairy forum about KPIs, not just as performance metrics, but as a lens for people-centric leadership.
We often become obsessed with numbers, especially in the age of data and AI. But there's so much more to metrics. From a leadership perspective, data is about connecting the dots.
But what if KPIs didn't just stand for Key Performance Indicators?
What if they meant Keeping Partners Informed?
That mindshift changes everything. By reframing KPIs from numbers to people, we evolve metrics into enablers of trust. Such perspective shifts KPIs beyond numbers and positions them as part of an ecosystem of collaboration. In fact, how metrics are communicated and understood throughout the organization unlocks collective action.
Such a shift in perspective is also what empowered Travel South USA's success. Rather than using data for the sake of data, Travel South utilized data with intention by aligning and integrating strategic insights into its organizational rhythms. Their goal was simple: move from clutter to clarity, jargon to context, and information overload to shared understanding across their partners. By consistently prioritizing strategic insights, the organization built actionable resources that drive impact.
This approach mirrors a broader framework I often use in data strategy: ALIGN.
ALIGN framework.
Anchor data to organizational strategy
Leverage data for strategic clarity
Integrated different sources of data
Guide stewardship and standardize processes
Nurture a culture of continued improvement
Anchor data to organizational strategy.
Keep Partners Informed —> Purpose Elevated.
Travel South addressed its information overload by building a data culture. Simple in theory, but powerful in practice. This meant shifting focus toward outcomes and establishing shared sources of truth that cascade across its member states. By aligning on clarity and consistency, Travel South created a foundation that makes data more usable and meaningful for every partner.
Leverage data for strategic clarity.
Keep Partners Informed —> Energy Renewed.
With organizations sitting on mountains of data, the need to intentionally shape insights into compelling narratives has never been greater. Through creating organizational rhythms of data sharing, Travel South established data-driven dialogues with clarity and transparency. Creating a deeper understanding and inspiring action rather than analysis paralysis.
Integrate different sources of data.
Keep Partners Informed —> Confidence Strengthened.
By cross-referencing across multiple sources of truth, including traditional research, international market analysis, and even generative AI, Travel South built a foundation of trust. Data was no longer scattered. It became accessible knowledge with connections across sources that partners could clearly see. With this clarity, partners gained the confidence to act on insights rather than be overwhelmed by them.
Guide stewardship and standardize processes.
Keep Partners Informed —> Trust Stewarded.
Consistent communication across multiple touchpoints gave partners confidence that insights were being delivered in meaningful ways. With established rhythms in place, everyone could plan, adjust, and stay aligned, creating space for shared understanding, collective conversations, and stronger outcomes.
Nurture a culture of continued improvement.
Keep Partners Informed —> Collaboration Strengthened .
Keeping people informed inspires collective success that scales. Tennessee increased participation from non-gateway destinations. Alabama built a robust, multi-country program. The Travel South data culture has continued to shift from passive data consumption to collective engagement, shared learning, and inspired action.
KPIs are more than numbers.
They are instruments of trust, clarity, and shared momentum. The ultimate KPI isn't just numbers for the sake of numbers. It is about shared success. Ultimately, the most powerful KPIs are about how effectively you keep people connected and engaged, both internally and externally.
That is why we focus on people-centric KPIs: Keeping Partners Informed. For Travel South, we transformed mountains of data into shared sources of truth, established organizational rhythms through multiple mediums, including briefs and newsletters, and even leveraged AI tools and agents.
The result? Moving from data clutter to alignment, strategic clarity, and shared purpose. After all, when insights become a bridge, not just data, KPIs become an instrument of collaboration.
The ultimate KPI isn't a number. It is how well you keep people informed, aligned, and inspired.
"Travel South established a culture of continuous improvement through data-led insights that inform our collective strategic decisions as a regional organization.”
— Liz Bittner, CEO, Travel South USA
