On posture, outcomes, and operating at actual size
I’ve spent most of my career working backward from desired outcomes.
Decide what I want. Figure out how to get there. Adjust how I show up accordingly.
That approach works.
As I ramp up for 2026, I’m doing something different.
I’m letting attitude lead.
Not because outcomes stopped mattering. But because I’ve noticed something that’s hard to unsee once you do:
Targets have a way of negotiating posture.
When outcomes lead, you make small adjustments in advance.
- You become a little more flexible than necessary.
- You tolerate things you wouldn’t otherwise tolerate.
- You choose approaches that feel safer, more defensible.
Because you’re trying to affect that specific result.
All reasonable. All explainable.
And, over time, you become slightly, well, smaller than necessary.
Nothing broke to bring this into focus. Things were working.
They just required more self-management than felt honest.
- When targets lead, you’re constantly adjusting yourself to protect the outcome.
- When attitude leads, you decide how you’re willing to stand — and let outcomes follow.
That doesn’t mean abandoning goals. It means refusing to let them dictate posture.
Leading with posture means being clear about tone, boundaries, and standards before you know exactly where things land. It’s operating at actual size.
Not inflated. Not aspirational. Not performative.
Actual.
For experienced people, that’s the uncomfortable part. Operating at actual size removes a familiar buffer. You can’t optimize yourself in advance. You have to let your stance be visible before results justify it.
That can feel risky.
But here’s what I’ve seen consistently:
When posture is right, outcomes tend to exceed planning.
When posture is compromised, no amount of planning really fixes it.
So as I ESCALATE & ELEVATE for 2026, I’m less interested in managing outcomes.
I’m more interested in managing how I show up before outcomes are clear.
Not because it guarantees success. But because it guarantees I won’t have to shrink to get wherever I’m going.
And in my experience, that’s usually when the best outcomes show up anyway.
