You might know a CEO a bit like John. John is the Founder & CEO of a mid-sized SaaS company. He’s full of ideas—new ones every week.
One week, he tells the product team to add an AI-powered feature.
The next, he announces a brand-new pricing model.
A few days later, he’s talking about international expansion.
And by the end of the month, he’s convinced a new partnership will “change everything.”
The result? Chaos. Teams are confused, priorities keep shifting, and no initiative gets the focus or resources it needs. The outcome is predictable: results stall.
The problem: clarity. Without clarity on the bigger picture, his company keeps changing gears. Roadmaps get rewritten, resources spread too thin, and the most important initiatives never take off.
Zoom Out Before Chasing the Next Big Idea
Too many companies don’t fully grasp the game they’re really playing—and therefore don’t understand the rules.
Here are the questions I’d ask John (and any leader full of good ideas):
- What is your ambition? Define the difference you want to make for your customers and your market. What’s the legacy you want to leave? Can you explain it so clearly that every employee gets it?
- What business are you really in? Based on your ambition, are you just selling software features or helping customers achieve meaningful outcomes?
- What’s your strategy and what are your strategic goals? If you don’t have them written down and aligned, it’s time to create them.
Once you’re clear on these answers, evaluating ideas becomes much easier. Every time a new one comes up, simply ask:
👉 Does this contribute to the impact we want to make and the results we’ve defined as success?
If not, forget it. If yes, commit to it. And if you need a practical way to make this happen, my 3-step framework can help you turn clarity into real results.
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