The Cult of the Dashboard: Vanity Metrics Anonymous

In this episode, The Cult of the Dashboard: Vanity Metrics Anonymous, we expose the seductive world of flashy dashboards and meaningless numbers. Listeners will learn why organizations cling to vanity metrics, how executive reports can hide more than they reveal, and what truly matters when measuring security. From the psychological pull of green stoplights to the perverse incentives that reward compliance theater, the discussion unpacks how activity counts distract from the real goal: reducing risk in the face of determined adversaries.

Beyond awareness, this episode sharpens practical skills for security leaders and practitioners. You’ll gain insight into building outcome-driven measurement programs, creating metrics that highlight exposure and effectiveness, and framing results in ways that drive decisions. The episode also helps refine executive communication, teaching how to transform numbers into narratives that motivate action instead of applause. By the end, you’ll be better equipped to design metrics that measure what attackers care about—not what looks good on a slide. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com.