--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most businesses fail because they want…" description: "\"Most businesses fail because they want the right things but measure the wrong things, and they get the wrong results.\" — Gordon Bethune" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/gordon-bethune-16416_because_most-businesses-fail-because-they-want-t_1970510.png" --- # Most businesses fail because they want the right things… ![“Most businesses fail because they want the right things but measure the wrong things, and they get the wrong results.” quote by Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/gordon-bethune-16416_because_most-businesses-fail-because-they-want-t_1970510.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/gordon-bethune-16416_because_most-businesses-fail-because-they-want-t_1970510.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/gordon-bethune-16416_because_most-businesses-fail-because-they-want-t_1970510.png) > “Most businesses fail because they want the right things but measure the wrong things, and they get the wrong results.” [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Businesses often set correct goals but track irrelevant metrics, leading to poor outcomes. **In simple terms:** Wrong metrics cause wrong results. Key Takeaway Align measurements with true objectives. Themes business strategy metrics performance Mood practical strategic Type advisory instructional When to use this quote - product development - marketing campaigns - financial reporting - team management Key Concepts goal alignment KPIs measurement theory Questions to Reflect On - What key metric truly reflects success? - How can you shift focus without losing momentum? A Different Perspective Changing metrics can be costly and disruptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Businesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/businesses/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) ## Related quotes > [“First, measure the right things, and then measure them right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/first-measure-the-right-things-and-then-measure-them-right/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“You need to GIVE UP on methods that always give you wrong results... No matter how committed you are with a wrong formular, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-need-to-give-up-on-methods-that-always-give-you-wrong-results-no/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [There is no wrong answer. Even so, it is easy to receive wrong results, simply by asking the wrong question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/there-is-no-wrong-answer-even-so-it-is-easy-to-receive-wrong-results/) [Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/) > [There is nothing wrong with you, only the way you think of right things will go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airgil/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-you-only-the-way-you-think-of-right/) [Airgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airgil/) > [Don't do wrong things for the right reasons, and don't do right things for the wrong reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-do-wrong-things-for-the-right-reasons-and-don-t-do-right-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we fill our thoughts with right things, the wrong ones have no room to enter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/when-we-fill-our-thoughts-with-right-things-the-wrong-ones-have-no/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“You find what you are looking for: are you looking for things that are right or things that are wrong?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-budzinski/you-find-what-you-are-looking-for-are-you-looking-for-things-that-are/) [Karen Budzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-budzinski/) > [“In my society, even the right things are wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/in-my-society-even-the-right-things-are-wrong/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [I know that you don't know, but you don't know that you don't know! By that I mean there are three reasons why individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/i-know-that-you-don-t-know-but-you-don-t-know-that-you-don-t-know-by/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [“In fact, trying to grow too big, too fast is one of the top—and perhaps the saddest—reasons that small businesses fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-wright/in-fact-trying-to-grow-too-big-too-fast-is-one-of-the-top-and-perhaps/) [Christy Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-wright/) > [Ten percent of American businesses disappear every year. ... It's far higher than the failure rate of, say, Americans. Ten percent of Americans don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/ten-percent-of-american-businesses-disappear-every-year-it-s-far/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [We're conditioned to let businesses fail, regardless of how much we like them. We believe that if the market doesn't want that bookstore to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/we-re-conditioned-to-let-businesses-fail-regardless-of-how-much-we/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [“Businesses fail either because they leave their customers or because their customer leave them !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-s-grove/businesses-fail-either-because-they-leave-their-customers-or-because/) [Andrew S. Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-s-grove/) > [Many businesses fail because the owner wasn't willing to invest and wasn't educated on the difference between spending money frivolously and investing money into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-roth/many-businesses-fail-because-the-owner-wasn-t-willing-to-invest-and/) [Carol Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-roth/) > [Nine out of ten businesses fail; so I came up with a foolproof plan - create ten businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/nine-out-of-ten-businesses-fail-so-i-came-up-with-a-foolproof-plan/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) ## More by Gordon Bethune > [It's difficult to have everybody like everything you do. I don't know anybody that's perfect and doesn't have a zit somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/it-s-difficult-to-have-everybody-like-everything-you-do-i-don-t-know/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [Grounding airplanes to cover your butt would never have let Orville or Wilbur change the world. We would still be spending weeks to cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/grounding-airplanes-to-cover-your-butt-would-never-have-let-orville/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [It's not a testosterone-driven industry any longer. Success is making money, not in the size of the airline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/it-s-not-a-testosterone-driven-industry-any-longer-success-is-making/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [I don't think JetBlue has a better chance of being profitable than 100 other predecessors with new airplanes, new employees, low fares, all touchy-feely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/i-don-t-think-jetblue-has-a-better-chance-of-being-profitable-than/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [You're only as good as your dumbest competitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/you-re-only-as-good-as-your-dumbest-competitor/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [But I like to think that a lot of managers and executives trying to solve problems miss the forest for the trees by forgetting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/but-i-like-to-think-that-a-lot-of-managers-and-executives-trying-to/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [It's the old adage: You can make a pizza so cheap, nobody will eat it. 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