The Illusion of Control

Most leaders I know are doing everything right.

They have dashboards, KPIs, performance reviews, surveys, and metrics for every function. But here’s the challenge: Nearly all of that data is looking backward. It’s telling you what already happened, not what’s unfolding right now.

We’ve all had that moment: the numbers shift, and we’re left asking why. But the behavior that drives your metrics happens “before” the numbers ever move. That’s the real challenge — most of what drives results happens before it shows up in your data.

If you're only looking at outcomes, you're managing from behind. 

It's not a failure of leadership. It’s a gap in visibility. 

Because what drives your business — how people work, adapt, collaborate, or disengage — starts as behavior. And most organizations aren’t measuring that until it's too late.

What you’re missing isn’t insight. It’s visibility.

If your current data tells you “what” happened, ask yourself: 

What are we missing that could show us “why” it’s happening, while it’s still happening?

Part 2: Why behavior, not culture, is your most actionable blind spot.