Quick, consistent feedback is encouraging.

I like that I can hit a golf ball and instantly get feedback based on my swing. I can then make adjustments, and minutes later, get closer to (or sometimes further from) my desired outcome.

It’s much tougher when the feedback is sporadic.

I’ve written before about the challenges of working towards larger wins, knowing that I’ll work for months, or even a year, before a final decision is made.

Day after day, I leave the office with nothing to show for my efforts.

So how do I try to judge my efforts?

By thinking in terms of expected value.

The first 10, 50, or even 100 actions I take towards a given objective won’t result in a direct outcome, but that doesn’t mean they’re useless. Every day, every action either takes me closer or further from my goal.

After a good day, I might still have $0 on the books, but if I took a $10 million opportunity from 50% to 60%, then I did something right. In theory, you could say that I brought $1 million ($10 million x 10%) of value.

It isn’t a perfect approach, since the argument could be made that closing is more important (and more challenging) than anything else leading up to that point, but it’s a step in the right direction.

-Brandon