CONCLUSION - "The Power of WHY" - How My Four Pillars Came to Life
Published 05.09.2025
Before I had Four Pillars, I had KPIs. They lived in my little black notebook — and for anyone born before the iPad, yes, I mean an actual notebook. Every time I filled one up, I started a new one. And every single one had the same laminated card tucked inside: my non-negotiables. My compass. My “BEAR” goals. My “Brad” goals.
KPIs are great. They keep you honest. They tell you what to measure, where to aim, and whether the wheels are about to come off. But here’s the catch: KPIs only ever tell you what and how. They never tell you why.
That’s where the Four Pillars came in.
I didn’t sit down and declare them in a flash of brilliance. A friend basically said: throw it all into ChatGPT and see what comes back. (So I did. And here we are.)
Originally, it wasn’t even four. Reflection wasn’t part of the 100 words that came back. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised you can’t leave it out. Without Reflection, Purpose, Leadership, and Impact don’t evolve. Reflection is what forces you to pause, apply your experience and beliefs, and ask: where did we start, where are we now, and where do we need to go?
That’s the Power of WHY. The Four Pillars aren’t just philosophy. They aren’t just words you frame in walnut and hang in a staff room. They’re how you actually run a business:
Purpose – in recruitment, training, and every first impression at the door.
Leadership – in coaching, mentoring, and making people feel they belong.
Impact – in shifting culture, driving sales, and opening new sites.
Reflection – in reporting, reviews, and the uncomfortable questions that keep you honest.
So yes, KPIs gave me direction. But the Four Pillars gave me meaning. And the Power of WHY? That’s the thing that keeps it all standing — long after the laminated card has yellowed.