Measuring the truly important things in business is harder than it looks. While collecting data points like profit, expenses and sales is relatively straightforward, critical information leaders need to make smart decisions is often considered unmeasurable.

Buying an expensive, “fast” USB cable only to find that it chugs along like a steam train when transferring data can be highly disappointing. On the other hand, cheaper USB cables that deliver faster-than-expected data transfer speeds can be a welcome ...