Calling BS on Using Benchmarking in HR Decisions

Knee jerk benchmarking in HR systems and decisions has created a race towards the mediocre for most startups. Considering we're supposed to be the innovators there's an awful lot of cheating off of someone else's homework going on and most conclusions reached from a benchmarking exercise fail to remember that the information you're benchmarking against comes from a different set of circumstances, conditions and even just different human beings than the one in front of you. Plus just because it's normal doesn't make it smart or a good idea. 

My hope is that HR leaders and company leaders, in general, are able to shift how they look out into the ecosystem from a benchmarking exercise to an inspirational exercise. But if you're going out to the world and asking it do define for you how you should run your own organization you're risking your success.

Jonathan Basker has spent his career becoming an expert in how humans operate and cooperate inside of early-stage companies. His early career focused on cultivating talent and culture at companies like Etsy, Barkbox, Handy, InVision and betaworks where he was one of the first people to hold a Talent Partner-type role within the venture and developed the Hacker in Residence program - one of the original models for the VC studio ecosystem. He’s studied humans in myriad cultures; learning lessons along the way which are applicable to startups and individuals alike. These days he splits his time between supporting emerging leaders as an executive coach, supporting companies through organizational change and growth, and running around the hills and streams of the Catskills with a fly rod and a bow and arrow. He’s quite passionate about all 3 pursuits.