Many business leaders don’t struggle because they lack ideas, motivation, or capability. They struggle because they are carrying too many assumptions about what they should be doing.
Those assumptions often come from good places, best practice, past success, advice from others, or things that once worked well. But over time, unexamined “shoulds” quietly turn into bottlenecks.
A bottleneck isn’t always a broken system or a missing tool. Sometimes it’s a decision that hasn’t been revisited, a process that hasn’t been questioned, or an expectation that no longer fits the business you’re running today.
As businesses grow, the gap between what used to work and what still works widens. Leaders add layers rather than pausing to reassess. Teams stay busy but lose momentum. Everything feels important, yet progress slows.
This is where the Should vs Could mindset becomes useful.
A “should” often sounds like:
- We should be using this tool
- We should be acting similar to our competitors
- We should be further ahead by now
A “could” invites a different question:
- What could actually move the business forward right now?
- What could we stop doing without a negative impact?
- What could create space for better decisions?
When leaders start working from “could”, clarity replaces pressure. Priorities become intentional rather than stagnant. Bottlenecks become visible not because something is broken, but because it no longer deserves the attention it’s getting.
This shift doesn’t require dramatic change. In fact, it often leads to fewer initiatives, fewer tools, and fewer competing priorities. The impact comes from choosing what genuinely matters and letting go of the rest.
Throughout this year, we’re exploring this idea in more depth to help you move away from reactive “shoulds” and towards thoughtful, strategic “coulds” that speak to the values of your business.
Your to do lists will thank you, as well as your mindset!