That quote, attributed to Peter Drucker, has been cited in boardrooms and business books so often that it’s practically a cliché. But here’s the thing: it’s still true. And it goes hand in hand with another favourite of mine:

“Measuring things leads to the process of management.”
(The Hawthorne Effect also goes by this name. More on that later.)

Following on from my previous blog post, let’s talk about Be × Do = Have more, but this time with some teeth. You already know the concept: what you have comes from what you do, and what you do is driven by who you are being. But what if we stop treating that as a mindset mantra and actually measure it?

Let’s Break It Down: The Measurable Version

BE = Key Behaviour Indicators (KBI)

This is the stuff below the waterline of the Identity Iceberg. Although this behaviour is less obvious than sending fifty emails, it produces more enduring results.

Think:

  • Skills

  • Beliefs

  • Values

  • Identity

  • Language you use when you talk about yourself and your business (e.g. “I’ll try to…” vs. “I will…”, “I have to… vs “I choose to….”)

We call these Key Behaviour Indicators (KBI).

They aren’t measured in a spreadsheet, but they can be tracked. You can score confidence, ownership, and alignment over time. And when you start doing that, you’ll spot patterns that explain a lot.

You can also look at whether you’re living into your values and whether your identity supports or sabotages your goals.

Are you above or below the Point of Power (see this Blog Post https://stevenage.actioncoach.co.uk/2024/07/10/unleash-your-potential-embrace-the-point-of-power-for-life-changing-clarity/)

DO = Key Activity Indicators (KAI)

This is where most people feel comfortable. The to-do list. The actions. The measurable, visible stuff.

Think:

  • 50 calls a day

  • 20 follow-up emails

  • 5 new LinkedIn connections

  • 15 conversations with prospects

  • 1 webinar hosted

  • 3 client check-ins per week

These are your Key Activity Indicators (KAI)

Your results should directly result from these actions when you perform them consistently.

But here’s the catch. If you’re doing all the right things, and not getting results, you might have a BE problem, not a DO one.

HAVE = Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

This is what shows up in the numbers.

It’s the part we all chase. Growth, success, freedom, time, cash.

Common KPIs include:

  • Revenue growth

  • Profit margins

  • Net new customers

  • Customer retention rate

  • Client satisfaction scores

  • Conversion rates

  • Average transaction value

These are easy to see, but easy to misread if you don’t connect them back to the behaviours and activities driving them.

Meet Jamie: The Client Who Did Everything Right… Almost

Jamie runs a growing creative agency. Smart, ambitious, driven. She came to coaching because despite doing all the right things and hitting weekly lead generation targets,  building solid proposals and client work turned around on time, growth had plateaued. The team was coasting. Energy was flat.

Her KAIs were on track.
Her KPIs were stagnant.
So we dug into her KBIs.

Turns out, Jamie had slipped into “founder martyrdom”. Doing too much, trusting too little, assuming the team would underperform unless she micromanaged everything. She didn’t say that, of course. She just said things like “I’m the one who knows the client best” or “It’s just easier if I do it”.

Classic identity blind spots.

We worked on those.

She committed to a new “Be”. From fixer to coach.
We tracked confidence, delegation, and decision ownership on a weekly KBI dashboard.
The team started stepping up.
The results started catching up.

Back to the Hawthorne Effect

Here’s the bit that’s fascinating. Just by tracking those behaviours, Jamie started showing up differently. So did her team.

That’s the Hawthorne Effect in action. The idea that people improve their performance simply because they know they’re being observed or measured. In this case, not with suspicion or pressure, but with clarity and expectations.

It’s not micromanagement. It’s intentional awareness.

And yes, it works.

So, Who’s Holding You to It?

Here’s the big question.

Who is monitoring your BE, DO and HAVE?

Who challenges your blind spots by reflecting your language and verifies that your behaviours match your desired outcomes?

Let’s be honest. If you’re the business owner, there’s a good chance no one is.

That’s where coaching isn’t just useful. It’s essential. Not for cheerleading. For clarity. For mirrors. For structure. And for accountability you actually respect.

Let’s Put It Into Practice

If this has hit a nerve, in a good way, I’m offering a free coaching session for business owners and directors who want to break out of the “do more, have more” trap.

No hard sell. No awkward slides. Just a real conversation about your:

  • Identity (KBI)

  • Activity (KAI)

  • Performance (KPI)

…and where the bottleneck really is.

☕ We can do it over coffee.

👉 Drop me a message or comment “curious” below and I’ll be in touch.