And why it’s time to stop swallowing bullshit dressed as insight
Let me start with this: if you’ve ever nodded along to a LinkedIn post, knowing deep down it didn’t feel right—but you still clapped, liked, or said “interesting point”—then this article is for you.
I’ve had enough. Enough of polished thought-leaders recycling each other’s soundbites. Enough of consultants, coaches, and marketing “strategists” selling confidence as if it’s competence. And most of all—enough of businesses worshipping the wrong KPIs while their culture slowly rots from the inside out.
This week I came across two posts—seemingly unrelated—but both crystallized something I’ve felt for a long time: we’ve lost the plot.
KPI Culture is Killing Culture
One post was the usual marketing goldmine: How to measure ROI, which funnel gives you the highest CAC-to-LTV ratio, what ads convert best, etc. Metrics, metrics, metrics.
But here’s what nobody wants to talk about:
You can’t measure what actually drives trust in a business.
You can’t put a neat ROI tag on care.
We’ve built a business world where the only metrics that matter are external-facing:
- Leads.
- Conversions.
- Sales.
- Retention.
But what about this question:
How do your people feel about working for you?
What’s the culture you’ve created—really, not what’s on the wall in the reception area? Because if your team feels unappreciated, unsafe, or like they’re just another cog, your customer feels that too—even if your brand voice says otherwise.
You want to know what your customer experience is like?
Don’t check your NPS.
Check your staff room.
Check your Monday morning meetings.
Check your people’s energy on a Thursday afternoon when the work is piling up and no one’s watching.
That will tell you more than a dashboard ever will.
Because the way you lead your people is the way they will lead your customers.
Don’t believe me?
Walk into a business where the staff are cold, transactional, uninterested.
Now ask yourself—not them—what it must feel like to work there.
Bad service is almost never a “staff problem.” It’s a leadership reflection.
It starts at the top. And if you think KPIs will save your sinking ship, but you haven’t looked in the mirror lately, you’re optimising the wrong end of the system.
Coaching Isn’t Dying. But the Pretenders Should Be.
Let’s move to the second post. A well-meaning marketing expert announced that “coaching is dying.”
Now look, I’ll admit: a lot of what calls itself coaching is dying—and maybe it should. The guru culture, the recycled scripts, the overpriced accountability-buddies with zero depth… they’ve diluted the craft.
But coaching, real coaching, isn’t dying. It’s evolving.
It’s shedding the performative skin. The hype. The generic frameworks. The Zoom calls that never touch anything real.
So no, it’s not dying. It’s purifying.
And it’s about time.
But then came the kicker:
She suggested coaching should now be handled internally—by someone already employed in the company. “Everyone should just coach each other.”
That’s where I draw the line.
Because here’s the hard truth nobody in HR wants to say out loud:
You can’t truly coach someone if their paycheck depends on your opinion of them.
Coaching within a hierarchy isn’t coaching. It’s behaviour management. It’s “development” that subtly nudges you toward becoming more of what the CEO wants—not necessarily more of who you are.
Internal coaching too often becomes a performance review with a softer tone.
Will an employee ever fully open up to a coach who ultimately answers to the same leadership team that signs off their promotion?
Will they ever share their deep doubts, their burnout, their frustration with the system?
Or will they play safe—say the “right” things—and leave the real stuff at the door?
So let me be very clear:
- Real coaching requires independence.
- Real coaching challenges power, it doesn’t report to it.
- Real coaching is a mirror, not a leash.
And if you’re using coaching as a way to fine-tune employees into “better performers” without giving them the psychological safety to grow into their truth—then don’t call it coaching.
Call it compliance. Call it internal grooming.
But don’t insult the profession.
Thought Leadership Isn’t Wisdom
Here’s the broader issue I’m trying to get at.
We’ve built a business culture where appearance outweighs integrity.
You can be labelled a “thought leader” because your posts go viral—not because your ideas hold up under scrutiny. You can be “an expert” because you’re confident on camera. You can be a coach because you’ve completed a $200 online course and built a funnel.
And we—yes, all of us—have played into it.
We’ve liked the post. Shared the quote. Booked the call. Because they seemed legit.
But just because someone says something online doesn’t make it true.
And just because it’s unpopular doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
So let me throw some unpopular truths out there, and you can decide what lands.
- Culture matters more than marketing—but most budgets suggest the opposite.
- Leadership doesn’t start with vision statements. It starts with how you speak to your team on a bad day.
- Most businesses don’t need more data. They need more honesty.
- Most people claiming to “transform lives” haven’t transformed their own.
- And just because someone has a mic, a platform, or a brand—doesn’t mean they’ve earned the right to shape your thinking.
What Should We Measure Instead?
Let’s bring this back down to brass tacks.
I’m not saying throw away your KPIs or stop tracking your leads.
I’m saying they’re incomplete.
What if we also tracked:
- The energy in your team meetings
- How many staff feel psychologically safe enough to disagree
- The number of people who say “I feel valued” in anonymous check-ins
- How often feedback flows upwards, not just downwards
- How many people would recommend your business as a place to work—not just to buy from
These aren’t soft metrics. They’re leading indicators of long-term trust, brand integrity, and sustainable growth.
Because here’s the truth no spreadsheet can show you:
Happy staff don’t create happy customers.
Valued staff do.
Final Thought: You’re Allowed to Disagree
If you’ve read this far, you’re either nodding or bristling.
Maybe both.
And that’s good.
Because I’m not here to feed you sugar-coated insights.
I want you to challenge what I’ve said.
Hell, challenge me.
- Think coaching should be internal? Let’s talk.
- Think culture doesn’t impact sales? Let’s test it.
- Think I’m being too idealistic? Fine. Show me your model that works better—without burning people out in the process.
But don’t just read another shiny post and nod along because the poster has a few thousand followers or a “Top Voice” badge.
Think for yourself. Question everything.
And especially challenge the things that make you uncomfortable.
That’s how we grow.
And that’s how we build businesses that aren’t just successful—but actually worth building.
Want to continue the conversation?
Don’t agree with what I’ve said? I’d love to hear it.
Have your own philosophy? Challenge mine.
This isn’t a monologue. It’s an invitation.
To think deeper. To lead better. And to stop swallowing the surface-level advice being churned out like fast food.
Let’s start a real conversation—about people, truth, and leadership that actually works.
[Kenny Archer – Business Coach | Leadership Mirror | Culture Disrupter]
www.archerinspirations.com
Want to talk it out?
Book a virtual coffee with me here.
