Most CEOs are stuck tracking the wrong scoreboard because they aren't chasing Big Swings.
They obsess over quarterly wins, minor client deals, and daily “to-do” victories—yet those aren’t the moments anyone remembers.
The world’s best athletes don’t measure their legacy by small tournaments. They measure it by the Grand Slams.
Your business needs the same clarity—fewer distractions, more big swings.
Why Playing Small Kills Big Wins
Look at Federer, Serena, Nadal.
Nobody celebrates how many exhibition matches they won in 2007. Their trophy cases are filled with Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open—the moments that defined their careers.
Yet in business, most CEOs pile their trophy cases with small wins:
- Hitting a quarterly sales target
- Signing a mid-tier client
- Clearing a backlog of low-impact projects
These aren’t meaningless—they’re just noise.
They feel productive, but they don’t define your legacy.
The Brain Trap That Keeps You Chasing Noise
Here’s the trap: your brain is addicted to small wins.
Research from Harvard’s Teresa Amabile shows that completing even minor tasks releases dopamine, giving you a “success hit.”
That’s why clearing emails feels rewarding—even though it rarely moves your business forward.
The danger?
Your brain confuses activity with achievement. Without conscious correction, you’ll spend years optimizing for the wrong scoreboard.
If you want to understand how these dopamine loops work, check out this free article on The Science of Micro-Wins: How Small Daily Victories Rewire Your Emotional Brain.
What Big Swings Really Look Like for CEOs
Big swings are the moments your future self will still talk about 10 years from now.
They:
- Change the trajectory of your company
- Redefine your market position
- Force you to level up as a leader
For example:
- Raising $50M to dominate your category
- Acquiring a competitor to double market share
- Building a category-defining product
These are your Wimbledon moments.
They deserve 80% of your strategic energy.
How to Shift From Noise to Big Swings
If you want to stop drowning in noise, here’s the play:
1. Define your Grand Slam tournaments
What are the 2–3 game-changing achievements that would make this year unforgettable? Be ruthless. If it doesn’t change the game, it’s not a big swing.
If you want a framework for doing this at a company-wide level, read our guide on Why 10x Growth Is Easier Than 2x.
2. Build your calendar around them
If it’s not tied to a big swing, it’s a “side match.” Do it only if there’s capacity after the main tournament.
3. Install a “Signal over Noise” metric
Track the percentage of your weekly hours spent on your big swings. If it’s under 50%, you’re drifting.
Your One-Day Quick Challenge
Today, list the three biggest achievements that would define your next 12 months.
Then, cancel, delegate, or delay three activities this week that aren’t tied to them.
Expert Insight From the Field
Jim Collins said it best in Good to Great:
“A great company is more likely to die of indigestion from too much opportunity than starvation from too little.”
Big swings demand saying no to opportunities that don’t move the needle—even if they’re profitable in the short term.
The Calendar Test That Exposes Your Real Priorities
You don’t remember the small tournaments. Neither will anyone else.
The difference between a busy CEO and a legendary CEO is simple: one plays for the daily scorecard, the other plays for the trophy case.
Reflection question:
What’s the “Wimbledon” you’re training for right now—and is your calendar proof of it?