Going against the Flow

Most leaders feel the current. Urgent requests. Endless meetings. Metrics that don’t match what you value. The safe move is to go with it—to manage the moment and call it progress. But leadership isn’t drift. It’s direction.

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As a sales guy I saw so many managers make the numbers look good to make themselves look good. I saw so many managers not do whats right to fit in and go with the flow.

What resulted was teams that were broken without an intentional plan. Teams that didn’t actually have a leader and teams that didn’t believe a vision. Now I also saw leadership that went against the flow and did what was right and the results showed a different result.

It’s the choice to build a team and business on purpose, intentionality, and trust—what I call the Factor. When you align those three, you stop leading from fear and control and start building clarity, confidence, and durable influence.

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The Cost of “Business as Usual”

“Business as usual” is efficient in the short term. It often looks like:

• Hiring fast to patch holes instead of clarifying the work.
• Saying yes to misaligned deals because the quarter needs it.
• Reacting to people instead of owning your part in the problem.
• Measuring activity because it’s easier than measuring impact.

The cost is subtle and cumulative: confusion, blame, rework, and a culture that waits for permission instead of taking responsibility. You get motion without meaningful movement.

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The Factor: Purpose → Intentionality → Trust

Purpose answers why we exist and what we’re building. It’s the north star that focuses your effort.

Intentionality is how we choose to act on purpose today. It turns purpose into priorities, sequences, and commitments.

Trust is the outcome of consistent alignment between what you say and what you do. It’s earned when your team can predict your behavior and rely on your follow-through.

When these three align, leaders stop chasing urgency and start creating outcomes. Clarity rises. Energy returns. The work begins to serve the vision, not the other way around.

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What “Against the Flow” Looks Like in Practice

1. Choose clarity over instant progress. Slow the room down long enough to define the real problem and the decision criteria. Speed without clarity is waste.
2. Say no to misaligned revenue. If a deal distracts from your purpose or fractures trust, it’s a tax on your future. Walk away and strengthen your standard.
3. Own the mirror. When there’s friction, start with your mindset and behavior. Model the responsibility you expect from others.
4. Tell the truth early. Name tradeoffs. Share constraints. Invite challenge. Candor creates safety when it’s paired with respect and follow-through.
5. Lead without fear or control. Set clear outcomes, give real autonomy, and inspect through coaching—not micromanagement.

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Five Practices to Start This Week

1. Write the one-sentence purpose of your business. Share it with your team. Ask, “Where are we aligned with this? Where are we not?”
2. Set three intentional priorities for the next 30 days. Tie each to a visible metric and a weekly check-in.
3. Replace one standing meeting with a 20-minute decision huddle focused on a single issue and a clear owner.
4. Do a trust audit. Identify one promise you’ve made (to customers or your team) that’s currently at risk. Reset expectations and recommit with a timeline.
5. Create a stop list. Choose one activity, report, or project that no longer serves the vision. Stop it for 30 days and measure the impact.

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Why Vision Comes First

Leaders at a tipping point often ask for tactics. Tactics help, but without a clear vision, they scatter your energy. A crisp, written vision creates focus and direction. It reduces reactivity, sharpens decisions, and gives your team a shared target to run toward. When the vision is clear, people know what to own and how to contribute. Capacity grows. Momentum compounds.

A clear vision doesn’t add weight; it releases it. You trade clutter for clarity and find the space to do the work that matters.

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A Simple Commitment

This week, choose one “against the flow” move and make it visible:

• Tell your team the purpose in one sentence.
• Say no to one misaligned request.
• Keep one promise you’ve been delaying.

Leadership changes when you choose to see differently and act accordingly. Purpose sets the aim. Intentionality moves the work. Trust sustains the relationship. That’s the Factor—and it’s how you build a culture that doesn’t need fear or control to perform.

If this resonates, share it with a leader who’s ready to stop drifting. And if you’re committed to setting a clear direction for 2026, I’d be honored to work with you in the Vision in a Day Challenge.

Resources:

Blog- 3 habits that unlock your leadership

Let them Theory – Mel Robins

10X is easier than 2X – Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan