I posted this story earlier this week on linkedin as a short post, but it’s worth repeating here as an intro to this article.

About 15 years ago, I was sitting in my tiny office, staring at numbers that made me feel like a loser.

Cash was tight. Stress was high. I was in the early days of building Expio, and it felt like every invoice was a problem, every spreadsheet a judgment.

I remember pacing the room, questioning everything— Did I make a huge mistake trying to start this business? Am I really cut out for this? Is this thing even going to work?

That night, I called my dad.

He didn’t say much. He just listened. And then dropped a line that changed everything:

“The numbers tell you where you’re at. Not who you are.”

From that moment I started to separate metrics from identity. I realized I could track performance without tying it to my self-worth. That I could lead with vision even when the scoreboard showed no signs of life.

Too Many Leaders Worship Numbers, Then Let Them Wreck Them

Don’t get me wrong—metrics matter. But when you treat every stat like a moral verdict, you lose your grip.

You start making emotional decisions. You chase the next win just to fix how you feel. You scale too fast, or shrink too soon. You stop building from principles and start reacting to panic.

Around that same time, I picked up Great by Choice by Jim Collins. I’ve revisited it many times since. I’ve read it or returned to it many times since, and here’s how it ties into the Metrics vs Identity.

March With Metrics, But Lead With Identity

Reading Great by Choice also reminded me that metrics are tools, not identity.

The 20-Mile March

Consistency over chaos. You set clear, achievable metrics—and hit them every time. No excuses. No surges. No breakdowns.

Collins tells the story of two explorers racing to reach the South Pole in 1911: Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott. Both faced the same brutal conditions. But Amundsen stuck to a disciplined 20-mile march—every day—no matter the weather. Scott pushed hard on good days and rested on bad ones.

The results? Amundsen’s team reached the Pole first. Safely. Scott’s team died on the return journey.

The lesson: When you know who you are, you don’t sprint to prove something. You march because that’s who you’ve committed to being. Strategy is about endurance, not adrenaline. About staying on mission, even when the weather turns.

Fire Bullets Before Cannonballs

Metrics help you test—not panic.

Collins explains that great companies don’t bet the farm on untested ideas. They fire bullets—small, low-risk, calibrated shots. When one hits? Then they load the cannon.

He gives the example of Apple under Jobs. They fired bullets with the iPod, refining product/market fit before cannonballing into iTunes, iPhone, and full ecosystem domination.

The takeaway: You try small, smart bets. You learn. You adapt. You don’t collapse because one number dipped on Tuesday. This is strategy grounded in purpose. Not ego bouncing off a bad month.

Pack Extra Oxygen Tanks

This isn’t just about revenue. It’s about resilience.

During high-altitude climbs, professional teams pack more oxygen than they think they’ll need. Collins uses this as a metaphor for companies like Southwest Airlines and Intel—firms that built buffers of cash, people, and systems long before they needed them.

When chaos hit (like 9/11 for airlines), those who had packed extra oxygen survived—and even thrived.

The mindset shift: If your identity is too closely tied to the scoreboard, you won’t survive the dry seasons—because every loss feels personal. But when your identity is rooted in values, practice, and purpose? You can breathe when others choke.

What I Tell My Team Now (And Myself)

We still measure everything at Expio—traffic, pipeline, engagement, close rates, outreach activity.

But we also talk about this weekly: The scoreboard gives feedback. It doesn’t assign identity. If it’s working, great—keep marching. If it’s not, fix the system—but don’t trash your self-worth.

We’re not building fragile leaders. We’re building people who can lead even when the numbers aren’t flattering.

Solution? Lead from Identity. March with Metrics.

This week, ask yourself:

• Which numbers are shaping how you feel about yourself or your work?
• Are you letting the scoreboard tell a story about your worth—or just your performance?
• Where do you need to march—not sprint—toward progress you believe in?

Set the metrics. Track the metrics. But be someone—before you measure something.

Because numbers matter. But they don’t get to define you.

If this hit home, share it with someone who’s sprinting when they should be marching. And reply or comment—what metric has tried to hijack your identity lately?

See you next Saturday.