kept the rhythm fast enough so that we were challenged, but not so difficult that we lost the steps completely. And he kept tuning the difficulty level of the class to stretch but not break us. This same anxiety-to-boredom continuum also applies to managing people. Star performers can get bored easily, and often function best when they're expected to rise to great challenges. You want expectations to be high, but not completely overwhelming. With this in mind, check in with your employees periodically about where they are on this continuum, while also keeping an eye out for signs of where they stand. If they have low energy, or are showing up late and leaving early, they may be bored. If they're responding to small setbacks with anger or frustration, or getting sick a lot, they may be pushing too hard. Post Your Comment Post Your Reply Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out. Comments Thanks for sharing these ideas. We'll add them to our database of KPI examples at www.smartKPIs.com A key characteristic of a good metric is how easy and accurately can it be measured. All of these 5 examples are good in theory and useful to keep in mind. However in terms of their practical use, there are some challenges Metric 1: relatively easy to track, however data tracking relies on individual discipline. It