Why tactical advice hurts most founders

The reason tactical advice in business is generally harmful to most founders is that there’s a huge difference between doing something and helping someone else do that something.

The changed-person problem

When someone achieves something — say, “sold a company for $X million” — they’re a changed person now.

The mistake many successful people in business make, which is far less prevalent in sport, is that they give advice to people earlier in their journey based on what they now know, as if it’s true for someone at a completely different stage. It seems logical and indisputable. It’s actually completely misguided — and athletes know it.

You will never see a successful athlete telling the next generation what tactics or strategy to follow. They encourage the next generation to think like a professional. They demonstrate being professional. They don’t talk about it.

Growth isn’t an information problem

Humans don’t generally struggle to achieve a goal because they’re unaware of a specific way of doing something. Humans struggle to level up because growth requires breaking existing patterns.

We convince ourselves we don’t have what we need in the moment — like a tactic that will make the thing easier — as a procrastination mechanism for not breaking the patterns that currently define us.

So when a successful person says “I’d do it differently now, based on what I know,” they’re not accounting for the fact that their body now carries a different level of pattern recognition. Elite athletes know there are many ways to develop as an athlete. Business execs tend to think their way is the proven path.

In 2025, when everyone thinks they’re a coach, everyone has advice for you, and success stories are in every corner of the internet — the way you win is by looking internally, not externally.

How you actually break the patterns

Be honest with yourself. Act without ignorance. That’s how you break the patterns.

Build a team around you that breaks you open and protects your blindside — the same way elite athletes use coaches throughout their entire career development.

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Want a coach who protects your blindside? Apply for coaching and Coach Leighroy will be in touch.