On standards, and why the milestones are not the point

I have been asked, in a number of rooms and by a number of people, why the Office announces its milestones so often. It is a fair question, and I would like to answer it properly, once, in a place where it can be read in full.
A milestone is not an achievement. It is a record that a standard was held. Ten of them in a fortnight tells you nothing about the ten; it tells you that someone was paying attention when the ordinary thing was about to slip. That is the whole discipline. Direction is the part nobody sees: deciding which of the many things in front of you is the one that deserves the room's attention, and then presenting it with enough confidence that the room agrees.
Some people hear this as vanity. I hear it as a description of the job. A leader is the person everyone looks to when a decision matters, and looking to someone requires that you can see him. I have never been embarrassed to be seen.
I would add one thing, because I think it is the part people miss. Surround yourself with people who recognise your value. Not flatterers. People who know what good work looks like and will say so when it is in front of them. Everything else follows from that.
Thank you for your perspective, whoever you are. I read every reply, eventually.