Not all KPIs tell the truth. In this episode of Handled It, Joe Perkins, Brent Hillabrand, and Justin sit down with Adam Flood, Executive Director of Supply Chain at Wellstar Health, to break down the metrics that feel right but lead operations in the wrong direction. From cost-per-pick and fleet utilization to fill rates and incentive pay structures, this conversation exposes how chasing the wrong numbers creates misalignment, gaming, and downstream damage to the customers you're trying to serve.

Adam brings real-world examples from healthcare supply chain — including how switching from pallets to carts saved frontline staff 90 minutes a day — and introduces the concept of the "feel rate": not just whether you filled the order, but whether the customer actually felt it. The group also digs into Goodhart's Law, leading vs. lagging indicators, how to build empowered teams that drive their own metrics, and why simplifying your dashboard may be the most powerful operational move you make.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why cost-per-pick, fill rate, and fleet utilization can mislead more than they reveal

• How lagging indicators create reactive, firefighting cultures

• What the "feel rate" is and why it matters more than fill rate

• How to stop putting ceilings on your team by over-prescribing KPIs

• Why Goodhart's Law says when a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure

• How to tailor dashboards for different levels of your organization

Your best-looking metric may be your biggest blind spot. Learn how to shift from measuring what's easy to measuring what's true — so your operation performs where it actually counts.