I was talking with a business owner the other day about the mindset and methods that are crucial for systematic continuous improvement (SCI).

He obsesses over business results. He looks at them constantly, and he operates in one of two ways:

• When results are good, he leaves everything and everyone alone and coasts along.

• When results don't measure up to his demands, he gets everyone in a frenzy scrambling to turn things around ASAP!

Here’s what I told him:

• If you fixate on results, you're looking backwards, and you'll only make improvements when the numbers fall short.

• If you focus on continuous improvement, you're looking ahead, and the numbers get better repeatedly without fixating on results.

Think of it like a baseball player who’s preoccupied with his batting average every day. When he’s doing well, he relaxes and coasts. But when he’s in a slump and his average goes down, he gets rattled and takes bad swings that often make things worse.

But the truly great hitters don’t fixate on their numbers. They focus on their swing – all the time. They study their stance, their timing, and how they track the ball. They make small, steady adjustments that give them an edge – even when they’re doing well. Over time, that focus on improvement — not the batting average — is what produces superior results.

It’s the same in business. If you keep refining and improving the way you play the game – without obsessing over results – the numbers will take care of themselves.

Bottom line – whether it’s business or baseball – the best path to peak performance is to focus on improving the swing, not the batting average.

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