The Identity Architecture of the $10M+ Shift
Inspired by my Kenyan safari, “Field Notes” are my observations from the field where my clients and I work - coaching sessions. Each field note is drawn from actual client sessions and give an insight to the personal evolution of my clients. An example:
Location: The Strategy Front Lines
Observation: We are obsessed with scaling systems, but we are ignoring the Identity Architecture required to run them.
I spent the last week in back-to-back deep dives with firm owners who are all staring down the same barrel: they’ve built something successful, yet they feel like they’re losing.
Here is what I’m seeing in the field:
1. The "Chernobyl Firefighter" Syndrome
There is a specific kind of heroism that is actually a trap. I’m seeing brilliant leaders standing in front of "radioactive" piles of work, acting as the primary safety net.
They tell me they’re in "Survival Mode" because the economy is "mean" or the industry is "broken." But the field data suggests otherwise. They aren't in survival mode because of the market; they are in survival mode because they haven't yet fired the Operator and hired the Architect.
If you are the only thing standing between a client and a disaster, you aren't a CEO. You’re a firefighter. And firefighters don't have the bandwidth to design the future.
2. The Gravity of Level 3
The most common friction point I observed this week is the "deadline every day" culture.
When you lead from an old identity (the one that got you to seven figures through sheer force of will), you default to Level 3 Energy. It’s mostly catabolic. It’s very reactive. It’s the feeling that the status quo is "too heavy" to change.
I watched a leader realize in real-time that being "loose" on her fees and deadlines wasn't "being nice"—it was a scarcity-based choice. She was subconsciously choosing the "lumps and nonsense" of a chaotic firm because she hadn't yet stepped into the identity of an Elite Practitioner.
3. The $10M Audit: Systems vs. People
A recurring theme in my notes: When a deadline is missed or a process fails, the old identity gets frustrated with the person.
The $10M identity—the Orchestra Conductor—asks a different question: "Is this a systems thing or a person thing?" The shift I’m pushing for right now isn't about working harder. It’s about Identity Architecture. It’s the move from doing the work in a vacuum to architecting a "Space for Perfection."
The Bottom Line
You cannot lead a $10M firm while your calendar is dictated by other people’s emergencies.
Success at the next level isn't a marketing problem, it’s an architecture problem. You have to decide to be the person who designs the game, rather than the person who is exhausted by it.
Field Exercise: The Identity Audit
Look at the biggest fire you fought this week. Ask yourself: "Am I trying to fix this person, or am I willing to architect the system that makes this mistake impossible?" If you’re fixing the person, you’re still the Operator. If you’re fixing the architecture, you’ve just started leading.
End of Dispatch.
