The Trade You're Making Without Realizing It
One of the most important things you can do as a founder is get good at knowing what to focus on and what to say no to.
I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a founder who'd committed to a growth priority for the quarter.
He wanted to build new strategic relationships to open up new revenue. He was telling me how much time he had spent researching who to talk to, thinking through his approach.
When I asked how many conversations he'd actually had with those people, the answer was close to zero.
The outreach wasn't happening. All of his energy was going into getting ultra-prepared for it. He was past ready, and the time he continue putting into getting more ready was time he didn't give to the thing that would actually move the number.
Yes, it was procrastination.
But I want you to see something deeper than the behavior:
Opportunity cost.
And it's common. Founders keep doing the work they're comfortable with, especially when the next move is something they haven't done before.
- Overplanning instead of executing.
- Being busy with service delivery instead of making a decision.
- Build one more version of the pitch instead of making the call.
[Not sure which problem to solve first? Take the self-assessment and find out.]
Every time you say ‘yes’ to something, you’re saying ‘no’ to something else. You have to know whether it's worth the trade.
This founder had felt like something was off. So he brought it to our coaching session.
It only took me asking "What more research do you need to do?"
And he realized he was ready and started reaching out that same week.
It happens to all of us. Every founder gets off-purpose from time to time. The ones who continually grow have support in place that helpss them catch it early and correct.
-A measurable tied to a clear outcome, so you can see where you are in relation to where you're trying to get.
-A person who will hold up the mirror.
-Your strategy as a filter for where your time is going.
If you know your priorities and you're reporting on progress toward them, issues should surface quickly when if you’re spending time on the wrong things.
If you're not, you can stay off-purpose for months and never realize it.