You are a visionary leader when you can create the future with imagination and wisdom. In its simplest form, this means having the learned ability to see the future clearly. If that sounds like you—an ambitious business leader seeking to scale your company through strategic, visionary thinking—let’s explore how to refine that skill, create your long-term growth strategy and generate better outcomes.
The Trap of “Playing Small”
If you’re like most, you say you want to play big.
But it’s easy to fall into the trap of playing “small” or “safe,” taking one day at a time and dipping your toes into opportunities without fully committing, just in case it backfires.
If this sounds familiar, I’ll be honest—you’re may not currently be operating as an “ambitious leader.” You’re likely acting as a lazy leader.
Now, this doesn’t mean you are a lazy leader, but you may be trapped in that mindset for the moment.
Lazy leaders seek immediate gratification: eating what they want, doing what they want, and avoiding the discomfort that comes with pushing limits.
As one of my mentors once told me when I was stuck in this mindset: “You’re a leader, but you’re just not leading.”
Like I was, lazy leaders rob themselves of their dreams by being short-sighted, but they also holding back their team and company from their full potential.
Losing the Vision
Remember when you were a kid, and life was all about play?
Whether it was Barbies, basketball, or tag, you were in a constant state of creativity and imagination.
But as we enter the real world, we get serious. We stop playing. We get practical and begin to harden to the possibilities we once saw. That’s what I call “losing the vision.”
Your life isn’t meant to be endured; it’s meant to be enjoyed, created, and yes, even played through.
When we lose sight of life’s purpose, our vision muscle atrophies. As it weakens, we give in to the pressure for immediate results, avoid uncertainty, and default to tactical, day-to-day tasks instead of making long-term, strategic moves.
- Instead of possibilities, we see limits.
- Instead of building, we stay busy.
- Instead of growing, we stagnate.
But this isn’t how life or business is meant to be.
No Shortcuts to Success
If you’re looking for a shortcut, a magic pill, or an easy button to long-term business growth, you won’t find it here.
But if you’re ready to become a more effective leader and generate exponential, sustainable results, you’re in the right place.
True growth happens when you’re willing to sacrifice short-term comfort for long-term gains. Every time you delay gratification for a future payoff, you compound your growth like a 10x amplifier. But if you’re always grabbing for quick wins, you’re missing out on the disproportionate rewards of long-term investment. That’s how scale and exponential growth work.
That’s why some of our clients, Western Interlock, are seeing +847% growth in their website traffic over a three year period. They’ve gone from 243,000 new website visitors per year to 2.3M. Yes, new visitors. And yes, 2.3 million.
And just so we’re clear, I’m not sharing any of this from a consultant’s textbook.
I’m sharing it from the trenches—working alongside my team and clients, finding the biggest levers for long-term success. What I’m about to share is a simplified approach to long-term growth strategy, revealing the minimum-effective dose to make you not only fast but also able to go far.
The Freedom of “Playing Big”
If you know me, you know “Futuristic” is one of my top CliftonStrengths.
I run fast and look forward, rarely back. I skip the small, quick wins in favor of the perfect fastball that I can knock out of the park at the right moment.
I wasn’t always this way.
A few years ago, I was constantly scrambling—trying to hit every ball that came my way. But not one made it out of the park.
I was juggling task priorities: urgent vs. important, what I wanted to do vs. what I had to do. I was throwing money at quick-fix solutions, hoping for immediate revenue boosts that never came. I was still Simon, but I hadn’t learned the key lessons I’m going to teach you today.
Transactional vs Transformational Growth
As an ambitious business leader, you can either think and grow transactionally or transformationally.
- Transactional growth is about short-term wins and present-day focus. It’s chasing trends, moving quickly, and staying busy.
- Transformational growth focuses on the future. It’s driven by high-leverage, high-output activities that build on each other. It’s about sustained productivity and compounding success over time.
| Transactional Growth | Transformational Growth |
| Today | Tomorrow |
| Fast | Far |
| Busy | Productive |
| Chasing | Building |
Long-Term Growth Strategy: Pacing for the Long Game
Take running, for example.
I used to think I’d never run—it looked hard and painful. But when I got into endurance running, it opened up new possibilities in my mind.
Running a 1-mile race is different from running a 10-miler. For a 1-mile, you sprint—your arms swing hard, and your feet pound the pavement. For a 10-mile run, your pace changes. You slow down, your arms relax, and every step is calculated to go the distance.
Both runs are valuable, but they require different strategies. If you approach a 10-mile run with a 1-mile mindset, you’ll burn out. The same goes for business: if you approach a long-term growth strategy with a short-term mindset, you’ll never reach your full potential.
Building for Long-Term Success
Thinking in decades requires vision, strategy, and building.
When these three elements stack over time, you’re stacking growth—what I call going vertical instead of horizontal.
With transactional growth, you’re running from side to side, chasing opportunities. With transformational growth, you’re building up—stacking success upon success, focused on going higher.
Ask yourself: “What if I was doing this for the next 50 years?” That question shifts your perspective on how to create value and drives transformational, long-term results.
How Do You Know If You Need a Long-Term Growth Strategy?
The truth is, you always need a long-term growth strategy.
Like living organisms, businesses are either growing or dying—there’s no in-between. But having a long-term strategy doesn’t mean you can’t also focus on short-term wins. In fact, both are essential.
To assess if your current approach requires a shift toward a long-term growth mindset, ask yourself these questions:
- Is your team looking for a quick win to sell and exit, or are you building a legacy company to last 50 years?
- Are you chasing a trend to cash-in fast, or are you positioning your company as a market leader that outlasts competitors and establishes a long-term strategic advantage?
- Are you building to sell or building to stay?
If your focus is solely on short-term growth—a quick win or cash-grab—it’s possible a long-term strategy isn’t your immediate priority. And that’s okay! Some companies are built for short-term success. But most ambitious business leaders, especially the ones we work with at Structure, are thinking about longevity, sustainability, and creating a legacy.
Even if you’re leaning toward a short-term strategy right now, learning to think in decades is still valuable. The days move fast, and without a long-term vision, you’ll find yourself wondering what’s next? after you hit those initial targets. In reality, thinking in decades ensures your success doesn’t just happen—it builds and compounds over time.
At Structure, our approach is all about the long game. We’re here to create Lasting Digital Impact™ through sustainable growth systems that carry your business into the future. Let’s keep that mindset in focus.
The Benefits of a Long-Term Growth Strategy
When you commit to a long-term growth strategy, you shift from chasing immediate wins to building something truly impactful over time.
Here’s why thinking in decades instead of days pays off:
Sustainable Growth
Imagine this: What if every decision you made today wasn’t just about the next quarter, but about the next decade?
It’s a mindset shift that can feel daunting at first, especially for leaders who thrive on quick wins. But here’s the truth—if you’re always chasing what’s directly in front of you, you’ll miss the opportunity to plant seeds that will multiply over time.
A long-term growth strategy allows your efforts to compound. Every action builds on the last, leading to a ripple effect of sustainable, increasing returns. This is how you build momentum—slow at first, but ultimately unstoppable. It’s not just about doing more; it’s about doing the right things that will continue to deliver value long after you’ve moved on to the next challenge.
However, here’s the rub. When everyone around you is obsessed with quick wins, it can feel like you’re being left behind. You might even question if you’re moving too slowly, especially when those results aren’t immediately visible. But that’s exactly the point—while others are busy juggling day-to-day fires, you’re stacking wins that last. You’re not just putting out fires; you’re building something that can’t be torn down by the next gust of wind.
It’s not about grinding harder—it’s about playing the long game, exponentially.
Market Leadership
True market leadership comes from a position of abundance, not scarcity.
The moment you stop needing something—whether it’s the next sale, the next trend, or the next validation—you become more powerful. But that doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen by focusing solely on short-term success metrics.
A long-term strategy shifts your company from survival mode to thriving mode. It gives you the freedom to make decisions from a place of strength, allowing you to focus on what truly matters—delivering value, serving your customers, and building a lasting brand. You’re no longer reacting to what the market throws at you; you’re setting the pace, and others are following.
And I get it—there’s always that nagging feeling that you need to move faster, that you’re going to miss out if you don’t act now. But here’s the thing: market leaders aren’t chasing trends; they’re creating them. When you think in decades, you’re not worried about being left behind. You’re focused on outlasting everyone else.
By positioning yourself as the visionary—the one thinking about where your industry is headed in the next 10, 20, or even 50 years—you create an entirely different playing field for yourself and your company. You’re no longer chasing trends—you’re defining them.
Lasting Legacy
Legacy isn’t built in a day, a quarter, or even a year.
It’s the result of intentional actions, compounded over decades, that create something bigger than yourself. If you’re anything like me, it’s not just about building a successful business—it’s about leaving something behind that will matter long after you’re gone.
But let’s be real—creating a legacy is no small feat. It’s overwhelming to think about the energy it will take to build something that stands the test of time. This is why long-term thinking is so powerful. It’s not about making every decision perfect or micromanaging every detail. It’s about stacking the right moves, over and over again, so that every decision contributes to something greater.
When you start thinking in decades, every move becomes intentional. Suddenly, the small fires you’re putting out today don’t seem so critical because you’re building something that will endure for the next generation. The stress of short-term pressures fades because you know that what you’re creating will last.
A long-term growth strategy lets you shift from managing for today to building for tomorrow. It gives you the perspective to see that the work you’re doing now isn’t just for immediate gain—it’s for creating something that will deliver value, grow in influence, and positively impact others long after you’re gone.
It’s about creating something that outlasts you—and that’s a whole different level of motivation.
How Do You Think in Decades?
Thinking in decades is simpler than you might expect.
It’s about expanding your current perspective and connecting today’s actions with your long-term vision. We’ve developed a process to help you do just that.
This approach is central to our Digital Strategy Workshop and Brand & Messaging Workshop, where we help you clarify and communicate your organization’s vision and values.
Legacy List™
It starts with your Legacy List—think of it as a bucket list but focused on the legacy you want to leave behind.
Unlike a bucket list, it’s not about what you’ll do before you die, but about the lasting impact you’ll create.
Follow these steps to craft your Legacy List:
- Legacy Date: Set the year in the future when you imagine your legacy will be fulfilled. Your legacy won’t last forever, but how long do you want it to endure?
- Legacy Details: Break down the components of your legacy. How will it impact people, the planet, and society as a whole?
- Legacy To-Do: Reflect on what parts of your legacy you can start living right now. Ask, “What aspects of my legacy can I start experiencing today?”
By creating a Legacy List, you clarify the purpose of your life and business, giving every decade ahead a clear direction. This method connects the distant future to today’s actions, allowing you to map out how to achieve your long-term vision.
10-year Vision Caster™
If you’re working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.
Steve Jobs
At Structure, we believe that a compelling 10-year vision has the power to pull you toward the future, fueling your ambition and guiding your actions. This vision goes beyond daily tasks and short-term goals—it pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, igniting innovation, creativity, and confidence.
Your 10-year vision aligns your team around a common purpose, positioning you not only to transform your business but to disrupt your industry and make an impact on society. This is your moonshot: a bold, nearly impossible goal that inspires everyone involved to think bigger, invest in innovation, and rally their efforts around a shared future.
What You’re Creating:
- A clear, inspiring vision for where your company will be in 10 years.
- A long-term goal that aligns the team and guides decision-making.
- A roadmap for sustained growth and lasting impact.
How It Can Be Used:
- As a guiding star to ensure every action aligns with long-term objectives.
- To inspire and attract top talent, engage customers, and form strategic partnerships.
- To drive bold, strategic decisions and investments that propel you forward over the next decade.
Steps to Complete:
- Set a 10x Goal: Multiply last year’s revenue by ten, and write down that number & date it ten years into the future.
- Travel into the Future: Imagine you’ve already achieved your 10x goal, and write down what it looks like.
- Backcast: Work backward from that future, identifying key milestones, and turning points that made it possible.
By setting a 10x goal, envisioning the future, and backcasting from there, you create not only a vision but a proven path to making that vision a reality.
3-year Mission Maker™
The 3-Year Mission Maker™ bridges the gap between your 10-year vision and the daily actions needed to get there. This framework follows a simple but powerful narrative:
“We will accomplish X (economic priority) by Y (specific deadline) because of Z (reasons to believe).”
This structure ensures your team stays focused on the most critical goal while maintaining alignment with the broader vision.
Key components:
- Economic Priority: Define the specific financial or business goal (e.g., $50M in ARR) that drives your mission.
- Specific Deadline: Set a clear deadline (e.g., October 2027) to create urgency and focus.
- Reasons to Believe: Provide compelling reasons for why the mission is achievable and why it matters (e.g., Because we want to make the world a better place).
By identifying the key economic priority, whether it’s hitting a revenue target, entering new markets, or scaling operations, you give clarity to the mission. Adding a specific date instills urgency, while the reasons to believe provide motivation and rationale. This narrative aligns your team’s efforts, ensuring every action contributes to a greater, long-term goal.
The 3-Year Mission Maker™ becomes the rallying point for your team, driving momentum toward sustained growth while keeping the long-term vision in focus.
How to Refocus on your Long-Term Growth Strategy
The bottom line is this: breakthrough in business happens after a breakthrough in life.
If you’re feeling stuck in tactical tasks, or find it hard to focus on strategic growth, the key isn’t adjusting your schedule or hiring more help—it’s changing you.
Leaders face constant distractions that demand short-term thinking:
- Pressure for Immediate Results: Quarterly or annual targets trap many leaders in a short-term mindset. A long-term growth strategy helps shift that focus to sustained, compounding growth.
- Fear of Uncertainty: Thinking in decades means embracing uncertainty. This can be uncomfortable, but it requires visionary thinking and confidence in the bigger picture, even when immediate results are unclear.
- Comfort in Tactics: It’s easier to focus on daily tasks, but sustainable growth demands a shift toward broader, strategic goals that align your actions with the future.
The solution is to step above the day-to-day grind. It’s about playing higher, choosing to imagine, create, and invest in the future instead of staying stuck in reactive work. We’ve covered the different mindsets that trap even the most ambitious leaders. Now, it’s time to shift.
Dan Martell once shared advice from a mentor:
You can either be short-term greedy or long-term greedy. Do you want to optimize for yourself right now, or are you willing to take the long view?
His takeaway: be long-term greedy. It’s simply a better way to build a business.
3 Practical Ways to Start Shifting Your Mindset
Reframe Your Time Horizon
Start by reframing how you think about growth. Instead of focusing on short-term KPIs, ask yourself, “What will we achieve in the next 10 years?” This question shifts your mindset from urgency to strategic patience.
There are no unreasonable goals, only unreasonable deadlines.
Dan Sullivan, Strategic Coach
Focus Your Time on Strategic Leverage
Identify the high-leverage opportunities that multiply growth over time. Long-term growth requires investments that may not show immediate returns but will drive outsized results in the future.
Invest in Yourself
Commit to your personal growth. Shift from a fixed, reactive mindset to a proactive, growth-oriented one that focuses on transformational leadership.
You don’t need to be working to get better at business.
Coach Bennett, Nike
How Can Structure Help You Drive Your Long Term Growth Strategy?
At Structure, our Strategic Workshops, Digital Growth Systems, and Fractional CMO Consulting are designed with one purpose: to help clients build scalable systems for sustainable growth.
Our clients are ambitious business executives in mid-sized companies across industries like manufacturing, private equity, and transportation.
They often face challenges like:
- Fragmented Marketing Efforts: Lack of a cohesive digital marketing strategy leading to suboptimal results.
- Outdated Technology: Needing digital transformation to stay competitive.
- Scaling Barriers: Hitting a plateau in growth and seeking the next leap forward.
- Market Disruption: Navigating industry disruption and needing innovation partners to adapt.
Through a tailored strategy, we solve these challenges by delivering results in areas like digital strategy, web design & development, IT infrastructure, and content marketing. We implement long-term systems that support sustainable growth and transformational impact.
We’re looking for companies ready to partner for the long haul. If you’re committed to creating a deep relationship that drives growth aligned with your long-term vision, we’d love to help.
Start by taking our free Digital Maturity Assessment™ to see how you score across 10 components of digital maturity. Or, schedule a free Virtual Digital Strategy Session and speak directly with our team.
