One Clear Thing is Stalling Your Team’s Progress (And How Leaders Can Fix It)
“Well, you ruined that for a lot of people tonight!”
This was the first thing I heard after the Founder’s Fiesta panel at SpartUp last week, where I was honored to speak on Planning and Growth. The attendee, a senior advisor, said it with a smile—but we both knew my comments likely made people rethink how they approach work. When asked about scaling customers and organizations, I had called out a common behavior that signals trouble for teams: saying “I’m working on XYZ” instead of clearly stating “We did A and B, and by next week we’ll do C.” While it may have led to some I’m in this picture and I don’t like it sensations, this is one growing edge I develop in all my clients.
In both technology and military operations, I’ve seen people and teams fall into the trap of appearing busy while making little meaningful progress. Listing all the things we’re "working on" can feel productive but often hides what’s actually being left undone.
In Slow Productivity, Cal Newport reveals how the relentless pursuit of doing more often erodes both effectiveness and well-being. He describes the trap of pseudo-productivity: measuring success by how many emails we send or Slack threads we manage, instead of the value we create for customers.
The Problem with Pseudo-Productivity
Pseudo-productivity thrives on motion without meaningful outcomes. It’s ticking off tasks to appear busy, spinning our wheels in endless "busy work," or using jargon to obscure a lack of tangible results. Newport champions fewer, more deliberate tasks—done with greater intention. When we succumb to the temptation to measure ourselves by the sum of what we’re “working on”, we are till fertile ground for overwhelm and burnout, and often respond to reasonable requests for clarity or commitment with defensiveness or contempt. We trick ourselves into believing that we are performing well because of how busy we are, and lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish.
Accountability: The Antidote to Pseudo-Productivity
Shifting to an outcomes-based mindset means rejecting the impulse to simply list what’s "in progress." Instead, it’s about embracing accountability with clarity: What did we achieve? What didn’t we achieve, and why? What will we achieve next and when? This transparency builds trust, and ultimately aligns team efforts with strategic goals.
The military isn’t immune to busywork—anyone who’s served knows the frustration of “hurry up and wait.” But when stakes are high, results matter. Formats for orders, mission updates, and debriefs prioritize clarity, ensuring resources and energy are used wisely. These systems aren’t about how hard we worked—they focus on outcomes, enabling teams to adapt quickly and learn from successes and failures. While tech teams don’t face life-or-death stakes, the principle is the same: clarity and accountability drive meaningful progress.
Mentoring Through Clarity
At SpartUp, I spoke with aspiring entrepreneurs brimming with energy and focus. Yet even high-performing groups can fall into pseudo-productivity: endless meetings, status updates, and busywork. Adopting an outcome-oriented framework—whether for a solo prototype or a large-scale team—helps cut through the noise by prioritizing results over activity. Build your personal and organizational rhythms around an outcome oriented mindset: focus on meaningful progress, set fewer goals, and execute with depth rather than breadth. This clarity will quickly lead to improved communication, decision-making, and an acceleration toward success.
Replace Activity Reports with Outcome Reports: Ditch “I’m working on [x]” in favor of “Here’s what we accomplished, where we fell short, and what’s next (and when).”
Lead with Clarity and Transparency: Leaders set the tone. Model accountability by tying team priorities to clear goals.
Normalize Reflection on Failures: Create a culture where missed goals are learning opportunities. After setbacks, conduct deliberate reviews and commit to one actionable behavior change to address the issue.
Breaking free from pseudo-productivity isn’t easy, but it transforms how teams perform. Whether you’re a solo founder or leading a large team, adopting outcome-focused communication accelerates results. Schedule a free consultation today, and let’s build a culture of clarity, purpose, and measurable success.