Are metrics necessary?

I go back and forth on this debate a lot: are metrics actually helpful? Or are they goals that just put pressure on us and we should therefore not set goals (a la DHH and Jason Fried)? How do you create a metric that actually matters and how do you appropriately measure and adjust it as needed?

https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2021/07/19/metrics-useful-or-evil/