Enough vs. More: Defining Success on Your Own Terms

The most dangerous question in business isn’t “How do we survive?” It’s “How much is enough?”

In twenty-five years of building and transforming organizations, I’ve watched countless leadership teams climb to impressive heights only to find themselves asking, “What’s next?” The answer is almost always “more” – more revenue, more customers, more products, more headcount, more geographic markets.

This addiction to more isn’t just a strategic choice – it’s a reflex, an unexamined assumption about what success means. And it’s destroying organizations and the people within them.

The Growth Addiction

Our relationship with growth has become pathological. Consider these symptoms:

• Teams celebrate hitting ambitious targets for approximately 12 seconds before being handed even more aggressive goals
• Companies report record profits while simultaneously announcing layoffs to “increase efficiency”
• Organizations expand into new markets before mastering their core business
• Leaders chase growth at all costs, even as employee burnout reaches epidemic levels

This addiction stems from multiple sources:

1. Financial Markets: Public companies face relentless quarterly growth pressure
2. Status Competition: Executives benchmark against peers in a never-ending race
3. Ambition Cycles: Each achievement creates a temporary high followed by the need for more
4. Fear: “If we’re not growing, we’re dying” becomes an unquestioned mantra

The Revolutionary Concept of “Enough”

What if there was another way? What if organizations explicitly defined what “enough” looks like across multiple dimensions?

Enough isn’t about settling for mediocrity. It’s about intentionally defining what success means on your own terms, then building systems to maintain that healthy state rather than constantly disrupting it in pursuit of more.

Dimensions of “Enough”

Organizations can define “enough” across multiple dimensions:

1. Financial Enough

• What revenue level allows us to fulfill our purpose while maintaining healthy margins?
• What profit level enables reinvestment without creating extraction pressure?
• What compensation is fair and sufficient for different roles?

2. Market Enough

• What market share represents sustainable success?
• Which customer segments can we serve excellently (vs. which should we avoid)?
• How many markets can we realistically excel in?

3. Operational Enough

• How large should our team be to fulfill our purpose?
• What office space actually enhances our work?
• How many product lines can we maintain with excellence?

4. Temporal Enough

• How many working hours constitute a productive week?
• How quickly should we expect responses to messages?
• What timeline for growth maintains organizational health?

The Benefits of “Enough”

Organizations that define “enough” discover multiple benefits:

1. Strategic Clarity: Knowing what’s enough helps you say no to distractions
2. Operational Excellence: You can master your core before expanding
3. Psychological Safety: Team members can deliver without fear of ever-escalating targets
4. Sustainable Innovation: Innovation comes from depth, not just constant expansion
5. Human Wellbeing: People can work sustainably without burnout
6. Environmental Responsibility: Endless growth is fundamentally at odds with planetary limits

Case Studies in “Enough”

While rare, some organizations have embraced “enough” thinking:

• Patagonia: Deliberately slowed growth to maintain product quality and environmental standards
• Basecamp: Maintained a small team size despite opportunities to expand
• Buffer: Published transparent salary formulas that define “enough” compensation
• Specialized regional firms: Many thriving companies serve specific markets deeply rather than expanding endlessly

Implementing “Enough” in Your Organization

If “enough” resonates with you, start with these steps:

1. Begin the Conversation: Simply asking “What would ‘enough’ look like for us?” can be revolutionary
2. Set Upper Bounds: For key metrics, define not just minimum targets but also maximum levels
3. Create Maintenance Systems: Design processes for sustaining excellence once you’ve reached “enough”
4. Redefine Success Narratives: Celebrate depth, mastery, and sustainability, not just growth
5. Examine Personal Enough: Ask yourself what “enough” means in your own career and life

The Courage of “Enough”

In a world obsessed with more, defining “enough” takes courage. You’ll face pressure from investors, peers, and even team members who’ve internalized growth addiction.

But organizations that find the strength to define “enough” discover something powerful: the freedom to focus on what truly matters.

When you’re no longer chasing an ever-receding horizon of “more,” you can direct your energy toward excellence, purpose, and genuine innovation.

In my experience, that’s more than enough.

How has the pursuit of “more” affected your organization? Can you envision what “enough” might look like?