Am I solving for the right outcome or am I solving for approval?

Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, asks rising generation leaders this question because the answer often surprises them. Most new CEOs default to solving for approval, especially in the early months. Approval from the founder. Approval from the legacy team. Approval from longtime clients. Approval from the family. The decisions look right on the surface and often produce the wrong outcome because the leader is optimizing for how it looks, not what it does. The reframe is to ask, with each significant decision, what outcome the company actually needs. If the right outcome and the approval-generating choice are the same, fine. If they diverge, choose the right outcome. The first few times this is uncomfortable. Approval drops. Authority builds. By the sixth month most of the team adjusts. The leaders who keep optimizing for approval never build the authority the role requires.