The other day, I gave toilet bolts as an example of how measurement is not the application of precision, it is the reduction of uncertainty. Today I give an example from the world of language skills listed on job descriptions…

Keep in mind that the general trend is, over time, to be able to measure, and thus improve, more and more things. Skills that used to be soft become, more and more, hard.

For example, 40 years ago, language was the ultimate in softness. But now it is, in many places, listed as hard. Language didn’t change, just our willingness to measure it did.

B1 is better than A3.

But right here is an example of how measurement is not the application of precision, it is the reduction of uncertainty.

The A3 person might be more comfortable with the vocabulary we need, or maybe their listening comprehension is better.

Another way of saying the same thing: The B1 person is likely to be better for our needs, but is not certain to be better for our needs.

So the measurement is not the application of precision, it is the reduction of uncertainty.

A reminder: The point here is to use our own real-world examples to switch our thinking from “measurement is precise,” to “measurement is imprecise; it is a reminder of the point at which someone said ‘yeah, whatever, that’s good enough.'”

That mindset change allows us to make better use of the soft skills we acknowledge are important, but can’t analyze well yet.