#17 - Target the Moon.

In the boardroom of 2025, the most dangerous phrase you can hear is: "Let's just start with the low-hanging fruit".

It sounds sensible. It sounds lean. In reality, it is a sedative. We are currently caught in a global "Short-termism" trap, a psychological and economic glitch where we prioritize immediate, high-probability returns at the expense of the very structural changes required for survival. This isn't just an AI problem. It's a systemic failure that is currently hollowing out our climate strategies, our public health, and even our capacity for intimacy.

The Mirror of Short-Termism: From Climate to Love

The same impulse that drives a CEO to demand a 90-day ROI on an AI pilot is the one that has paralyzed global climate action. We treat sustainability as an "extra cost" rather than a structural transition. Opting for marginal improvements that "look good" on a quarterly report while the window for effective 2030 targets closes. In finance, this "impatient capital" pressures executives to cut R&D to meet earnings. Starving the future to feed the present.

Even our personal lives have been "optimized" into irrelevance. Modern "swipe culture" in dating has turned human connection into a transactional model -immediate gratification rather than enduring commitment. Much like an organization chasing disconnected proofs of concept (POCs), the limitless pool of potential partners leads to "choice overload," resulting in lower relationship satisfaction and a "meh" reaction to what should be transformative experiences. We are applying "Quick Win" logic to love. This is too much.

The Low-Hanging Fruit Delusion

In AI strategy, this manifests as the Low-Hanging Fruit Delusion. Organizations start by solving the most accessible problems - like automating email drafts - because they require straightforward data and yield immediate results. This initial success creates a false sense of security.

When these same teams attempt to scale to complex, high-dimensional problems (like supply chain optimization), they hit a wall. The simple tools that worked for the "easy" data are insufficient for the messy, unstructured reality of core business logic. Because the "Quick Wins" were never designed to build a foundation, they become "Pilot Purgatory" - a graveyard of disconnected tools that fail to move the needle on the P&L.

The MVO Model: Reimagining the Organization

If "optimization" is a trap, what is the alternative? The answer lies in the Minimum Viable Organization (MVO). Instead of bolting AI onto a legacy department, we must start from the desired outcome and work backward.

An MVO is a business unit redesigned from scratch in which "agent swarms" oversee most work, with human intervention reserved for exception management and high-level strategy. In this model, you don't use AI to help a human do a task 10% faster. You use an autonomous network to eliminate the need for the human-led process entirely. This is the "Moonshot". Fundamental decoupling of labor from output. A competitive moat that incrementalism can never touch.

Funding the Rocket, Not the Destination

To be clear: I am not suggesting you ignore "Quick Wins" entirely. I am telling you to change their purpose. Successful organizations use "Quick Wins" as a financing mechanism, not a strategy.

Every dollar saved through a 30-day automation project should be explicitly earmarked for the "Moonshot" fund. The predictable, near-term returns of small projects serve as a hedge against the high risk of ambitious ones. If you aren't using your "Low-Hanging Fruit" to buy the fuel for your rocket, you are just snacking while your competitors are building a space program.

Action Plan: The Mandate for Elimination

To break free from the "Comfort Trap," leadership must pivot from a culture of "tweaking" to a culture of "breakthroughs".

Your 2026 Mandate:

• Elimination over Optimization: Order that at least one AI pilot in your portfolio must attempt to eliminate an entire business function, not just optimize it. If you aren't aiming for a 10x improvement, you are moving too slowly to survive an exponential competitor.

• Ban "Incremental Language": Avoid terms such as "optimizing" or "realistic growth" in AI strategy meetings. These are "Innovation Killers" that protect legacy processes.

• Allocate "Crazy Capital": Carve out 5-10% of your budget for "Moonshots" -projects that seem impossible today but would redefine your industry if they succeeded.

We have enough chatbots.

We have enough incremental gain.

It is time to stop picking the fruit and start planting a new forest.

Your move.