localization metrics strategy - our secret weapon to overcome the valley of disappointment

Few things are more frustrating than working on something and not seeing progress.

It is something we face sooner or later when we want to improve in some area of our life, whether personal, for example, increasing our muscle endurance by going to the gym, learning a language, or performing our localization activities. 

Not seeing visible progress is frustrating. You might feel inclined to quit while working toward a goal but fail to see tangible results.

• Why keep going to the gym if I still suffer every time I pick up the 20 kg dumbbells to work my chest?

• Why stop eating and enjoying a few chocolates when we feel like it if we have only lost 200 grams in weight when we get on the scales?

• Why keep measuring Localization KPIs if, for our stakeholders, our Localization activities are apparently still an afterthought?

There is a name for what is happening to us; it is something I learned from reading one of the books that have had the most impact on me in recent years. Atomic Habits by James Clear

This phenomenon is called the Plateau of Latent Potential

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The "plateau of latent potential" is a term that is sometimes used to describe a period of time or situation in which an individual has reached a level of stability or success, but has not yet fully realized their potential or made significant progress towards their goals. During a plateau of latent potential, an individual  may feel stuck or stagnant, and may struggle to make meaningful progress or achieve new levels of success. This can be a frustrating and demoralizing time, as it may feel like all of the hard work and effort put into achieving a certain level of success has not yet paid off.

 The phenomenon of Plateau of latent potential can be summarized as follows: there is a gap between the results we expect and the results we actually see.

There's a gap between what we think should happen and what happens.

Progress doesn't happen linearly because the results of our efforts are often delayed. Progress is slow, but we believe (and we want it to be fast).

 When we do something good for ourselves, we typically don't see the kind of feedback we expect. It isn't until months or years later that we see the value of our previous work.

When we do not see the desired result fast enough, we will find ourselves in the valley of disappointment.

Examples

• You've been following your weight loss program every day, but the product of your daily habits hasn't paid off yet.

• You've been going to the gym four times a week for the last quarter, but when you look in the mirror, you don't see the figure you were hoping for

• You have been working on your Localization project for the last 7 months and you don't see your stakeholders are as engaged as you would like them to be

When this happens, we feel discouraged after putting in lots of hard work without seeing any results.

It's important to realize that work is not wasted but that it is simply being stored and waiting to be revealed at a later date.

Progress is slow as in the book we can read, "It is the human equivalent of geological pressure. Two tectonic plates can grind against one another for millions of years, the tension slowly building all the while. Then, one day, they rub each other once again, in the same fashion they have for ages, but this time the tension is too great. An earthquake erupts. Change can take years—before it happens all at once."

And in a way, that can also happen with our Localization strategy. 

It can take years before we have the progress that we would like to see.

That's why we must have a plan; we have to have a plan so that when we stagnate and are in the valley of disappointment, we don't give up.

Understanding that sooner or later, we will stagnate, but that doesn't mean that we are not moving forward requires a change of mentality.

How to overcome the Plateau of Latent Potential - measuring, comparing, and looking back is the key.

The technique that helps me the most to overcome this Plateau of Latent Potential, this valley of disappointment, is measuring something and writing it down every month. When I hit the valley of disappointment, I look at it and cheer up because, in the day-to-day, I am stagnant, but if I look at the data from 1 year ago, I have improved. That's very encouraging. And that is valid for my gym routines, where I keep a tracking sheet of the kilos I lift for each muscle group, and it's also valid for the metrics of Localization in different areas of my Globalization program.

Trusting the process helps to overcome the valley of disappointment; trusting the metrics and looking at them from time to time helps to see the progress of our Localization efforts. 

So, here are some ideas on how to create a localization metric program because before you can measure it, compare it, and be encouraged by the progress, we must first be clear on how to create them!

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All big things in Localization come from small beginnings. Even the tiniest improvements, if consistently applied, realize their moment of breakthrough. Localization metrics are the key to these little improvements in navigating the Plateau of Latent Potential.

Summarizing

Let's be patient, write it down, measure, and when we feel stuck ...let's compare. This is the key to surviving the Plateau and avoiding falling into the clutches of the valley of disappointment. 

@yolocalizo