Stop Measuring the Gap. Start Measuring the Gain.
Why focusing on how far you have to go might be the very thing holding you back, and a simple mindset shift that changes everything.
Here’s a question I want you to sit with for a moment.
When you finish a tough week at work, what’s the first thing your brain does? Does it scan for what went well, the wins you secured, the progress you made - or does it immediately zero in on everything that still isn’t done, the targets still out of reach, the version of yourself you haven’t quite become yet?
If you’re anything like most of the leaders I work with, it’s the latter. And it’s costing you more than you realise.
This week, I want to share a concept I use constantly in my coaching - one that I believe is one of the most powerful, yet most overlooked, shifts a leader can make. It’s called the Gap vs the Gain.
What is the Gap?
The Gap is the distance between where you are right now and where you want to be. It’s the goal that feels just out of reach, the standard you haven’t yet met, the ideal future version of yourself that seems perpetually one step ahead.
On its own, the Gap is useful. It gives you direction. It tells you what to aim for. The problem is when the Gap becomes your primary measure of success - because focusing solely on what you haven’t achieved yet is a guaranteed path to feeling like you’re always falling short.
That constant sense of inadequacy doesn’t just affect how you feel.
What is the Gain?
The Gain is a different lens. Instead of measuring the distance forward to your goal, you measure the distance backwards : from where you were to where you are now.
It’s the recognition that progress is real, that growth has already happened, and that even a 1% improvement is a genuine win worth acknowledging. This isn’t about lowering your standards or becoming complacent. It’s about building the fuel; the confidence and self-belief that gives you the energy to keep going and reach those big goals.
When you acknowledge your wins, genuinely, honestly, not just paying them lip service, you reinforce the belief that you are capable. That belief is the foundation of everything.
The practical tool: coaching yourself with the right questions
One of the things I teach in my coaching sessions is that the quality of your questions determines the quality of your thinking. And nowhere is this more important than when you’re assessing your own progress.
Here are the two sets of questions I use; one focused on the Gain, one on the Gap. Both matter. Used together, they give you a complete picture.
The Gain — Current Reality
Talk me through your sucesses/wins this week?
What went well? Why? How do you feel? How do you do more of it next week?
What progress are you looking to make next week? What are you going to do differently to keep moving in the direction of your goal?
What help do you need? From who? About what?
Does your diary reflect your goals for next week?
The Gap — Desired Future State
Talk me through your next actions to close the gap. (Remember the 1+3+6 process)
What is your next milestone or sub-goal?
What do you believe you need to do differently to close the gap and achieve that milestone?
Whose help do you need? About what? By when?
I promise you: this habit, practised consistently, is one of the most powerful things you can do to build lasting self-belief and keep yourself performing at your best, week after week, month after month.
The leaders who sustain high performance over the long term aren’t the ones who are hardest on themselves. They’re the ones who have learnt to fuel their own confidence, acknowledge their own progress, and use their wins as the foundation for the next level of growth.
That’s what winners do.