ISSUE #42

Welcome to the Forward Obsessed Founder, my newsletter with insights, awesome tools, and real-world advice to grow your business and career.

GO FORWARD THOUGHT OF THE WEEK ➡️

Passion Launches Business 🙌
Dispassion Grows Them 💪

I used to believe that the secret to business success was passion.

If you believe deeply in what you’re doing — if the vision fuels your meaning and purpose — it has to be the linchpin, right?

Wrong.

In my experience of working with, interviewing, and connecting with hundreds of the world’s most successful founders and entrepreneurs, I’ve come to realize their success has nothing to do with passion.

The real key to success is to be dispassionate so you can make better decisions and build your business on the right outcomes vs. falling in love with outputs that don't move the needle.

In this week’s Go Forward Thought, I’ll give you the tools to become a results-driven leader who channels passion into obsession and obsession into a roadmap to success.

Outputs vs. Outcomes

If passion is the spark, once you’re in business, you know that the only way you’ll keep going is to commit to seeing that vision to fruition.

By “fruition,” I don’t just mean making your goods or services available for purchase.

I mean that you create growth loops, which are fueled by connection, expansion, and ongoing revenue generation.

Because repetition is more important than passion or obsession alone.

And results are the bottom line of any business.

You might be passionate about your why, but there is a lot of shit that you have to shovel along the way that you may not be as passionate about to get the outcomes you need.

Mediocre business people talk outputs.
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Masterful business leaders talk outcomes.

Aren’t sure of the difference? Here’s an example:

Let’s say you’re hiring a marketing practitioner, and they submit their LinkedIn profile for your consideration. On it, you see things like created an editorial calendar, wrote a weekly newsletter, and implemented a consistent social media presence for [brand].

Those are outputs. While that’s not the only criteria we use to hire people, unquantified impact means this person would have a hard time making it past the initial screening.

If, however, you see a profile that says things like leveraged leading trade publications’ editorial calendars to generate $100,000 worth of earned media, grew newsletter mailing list 75% YoY, and created social media strategy that increased click-through rates to 10% from 2% — those are outcomes — which makes this candidate well worth pursuing.

Get Results

If you want to be a results-driven organization, it starts with being a results-driven leader. That means you have clarity on your mission and vision, and you can articulate your organization's KPIs and ensure they align with your core values.

Remember, simple metrics aren’t going to tell the whole story. For example, the KPIs I continuously communicate to my teams are what I call the Four Green Lights, where if any of the following are “red,” we immediately stop and reevaluate.

1. Team satisfaction: Is everyone on our team happy and healthy? This is critical because happy teams lead to better work, excellent results, and happy clients.

2. Client satisfaction: Do we understand the client's needs, and are we delivering? Because this KPI is preceded by team satisfaction, we know the client is getting top-notch service because the team member/team is aligned with what makes the client and their audience tick — and happy.

3. The impact of the work: Is the work achieving the desired results? We measure this in many ways, from ROI to CAC and LTV.

4. Profitability: Profitability is last because profit isn’t a goal — it’s a result. Great companies are profitable, but they don’t focus on profitability. They focus on success with their teams and customers.

The Four Green Lights are quantifiable and easy to keep track of. As long as I use them to measure everything my team and I do, I am empowered to be dispassionate.

Remember, being dispassionate doesn’t mean being uncaring. It simply means that you can be rational and impartial and aren’t swayed by strong emotions.

Here are a few more tips on how to be results-driven at all times:

• Share Your Progress: Focus on milestones and achievements — these are outcomes, not just efforts.
• Track Your Metrics: Numbers don't lie, so set clear, quantifiable goals and use data to back up your claims.
• Reps Get Results: I mentioned this earlier in this article, but it bears repeating because consistency is key. You’ve got to have discipline and focus to repeat the right actions and build productive habits.
• Quality Over Quantity: Work smarter, not harder. Prioritize high-impact tasks and avoid busy work that doesn't add value.
• Celebrate Wins: Acknowledge victories as you reflect on your progress — and use success as motivation to keep going.

The result? The momentum and growth you seek. And that's worth making an effort for.

Always here to help 🙌
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​Pete Sena​

Podcast 🎙️: The Data is In: Human Connection & Commitment is the Linchpin

What all entrepreneurs share is vision — they have a light-bulb moment where they can see a solution that makes the world a better place.

In Aaron Lyles’ case, after the tumultuous 2016 election, he got the idea for a platform that would combat polarization and foster empathy through data practices. The idea was bold — eventually, it entailed making a significant pivot to become actionable — and it also meant that Aaron had to make some serious personal sacrifices to bring his dream to life.
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In a fascinating conversation that went back to Aaron's (and my) childhood, growing up with ADHD (something I’ve come to see as a superpower), we went deep into the heart of resilience, flexibility, agility, and other must-have attributes for mission-driven founders.

Listen: ​Transforming Data Ownership Into A Connective Force with Aaron Lyles​

MY OBSESSION OF THE WEEK 🖤:

Disconnect to Connect

We're living in a world where everyone's talking about AI, robots, and automation — and frankly, it’s sucking the humanity out of us.

This is probably why I’m so drawn to a couple of new devices (although, full disclosure, I don’t own either yet): the Freewrite computer and DC-1, the Daylight Computer.

Freewrite is like a space-age typewriter, and DC-1 is a tablet you can use outside. Both take cutting-edge tech and blend it with old-school features. This means they have the firepower of other state-of-the-art digital devices, but they’re crafted for a more simplistic, tactile, Zen experience.

Bottom line: My exhausted brain loves the idea of productive devices that support my health and well-being.

Thanks so much for reading this edition of The Forward Obsessed Founder — you can also check out this issue on the web [Link].
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