The Day I Realized Most Leaders Are Still Chasing Goals (And Why That's Holding You Back)

I wasn't planning to share this, but leadership is about transparency...

This morning, between my 4:47 AM meditation and my first leadership sync, I had a moment of clarity that I need to share with this community.

We've been doing it wrong.

For years—decades, even—we've been told to "set goals." SMART goals. Stretch goals. OKRs. The list goes on. And I'll be honest: I fell into that trap too. Early in my journey as Founder and Chief Vision Multiplier, I thought goal-setting was leadership.

If they only knew how limiting that mindset actually is.

The Awakening

Last week, I had a tough but necessary conversation with one of my direct reports. Brilliant person. Crushing their metrics. Hitting every target. And yet... something felt off. The velocity wasn't there. The alignment to our mission wasn't resonating.

I thought to myself: "They're achieving goals, but are they creating outcomes?"

That's when it hit me.

Goals are transactional. Outcomes are transformational.

Goals tell you what to do. Outcomes force you to understand why it matters. Most leaders—and I say this with deep empathy for how hard this work is—are still playing checkers while the market demands chess.

What Outcome-Based Thinking Actually Means

Here's what I've learned through countless late nights and hard-won experience:

• Goals are internal metrics. Outcomes are external impact.
• Goals create busywork. Outcomes create value.
• Goals breed compliance. Outcomes demand ownership.

When I restructured our organization last quarter (a decision not everyone understood at the time), I didn't focus on headcount targets or cost reduction goals. I focused on the outcome: a leaner, more resilient team positioned to 10x our impact.

Some people couldn't make that journey with us. That's okay. Leadership isn't for everyone.

The Framework I'm Using in 2026

I'm challenging my leadership team—and myself—with three questions before any initiative:

1. What outcome are we creating for our customers?
2. What outcome are we creating for our team's growth?
3. What outcome are we creating for our long-term culture?

If we can't answer all three with clarity and conviction? We don't move forward. Period.

This level of accountability separates good companies from generational ones.

A Hard Truth

Most organizations will read this and nod along. Few will actually do the work. Because outcome-based thinking requires you to challenge everything you thought you knew about execution. It requires hard conversations. It requires the courage to say "we hit our goal, but we missed our outcome."

If they only knew how liberating that mindset shift can be.

I thought to myself after our last board meeting: "This is what separates legacy-builders from box-checkers."

The Path Forward

As we move deeper into 2026, I'm asking my team to stop celebrating goals and start celebrating outcomes. To stop optimizing for metrics and start optimizing for meaning. To embrace the ambiguity that comes with thinking bigger than quarterly targets.

It's uncomfortable. It's messy. It's worth it.

So I'll ask you: Are you chasing goals, or are you creating outcomes?

The answer reveals everything about your leadership maturity.

Grateful for the journey. Proud of this team.

Some lessons can't be taught—they have to be lived.

#OutcomeBasedThinking #Leadership2026 #VisionaryLeadership #CultureOfOwnership #LongTermThinking #CEOInsights #LeadershipMatters