It’s been a while since my last post or article. I’ve been head down repositioning Xpleo as a business consulting firm and working with a handful of clients helping them prepare for scalability in 2026.
This morning I got to thinking about my big takeaway from 2025 and it hit me (pun intended) from my actively getting back into Krav the last few months (I was going less consistently due to business activities) – but now I’m back!
I’ve posted it before, one of my Krav Maga instructors, Josh Ackerman, has a phrase he loves to use during training. It usually comes right after you’ve slipped, twisted weird, or ended up in a terrible position mid-fight.
He looks at you and simply says: “You get what you get.”
Translation: You don’t get to restart. Fix it. Fight from where you are.
The longer I’ve been in business, the more I realize how true this is outside the gym and in the ring of business.
You Don’t Get to Choose the Fight
In real conflict, you rarely get perfect footing, lighting, timing, or space. You react from the position you’re in – not the one you wish you had.
Business is no different.
We don’t get ideal conditions. We get:
- A talent pool thinner than we hoped
- A market that shifts halfway through our strategy
- A client who backs out the day before payroll
- A product that launches late
- A team that’s still learning while the world expects excellence
And yet we act like we’re supposed to have clean, controlled conditions.
We wait for the “right time.” We get frustrated when something unexpected hits our blind spot. We replay the mistake instead of responding to the moment we’re actually in.
But the fight is happening either way.
The Shift That Changes Everything
When Josh says, “You get what you get,” it’s not dismissive – It’s empowering.
It means:
- Accept the position you’re in. Not emotionally – strategically.
- Control your next move, not your last one. Complaining doesn’t move you forward. Adjustments do.
- Fight for the outcome, not for perfect conditions. You can win from a bad spot if you refuse to stay there.
This applies directly to leadership.
Made a hiring mistake? You get what you get – fix your system and coach differently.
Lost a key account? You get what you get – strengthen your pipeline and communications.
Launched a product too early or too late? You get what you get – iterate faster and communicate better.
Underfunded quarter? You get what you get – prioritize ruthlessly.
Every leader I respect has one thing in common: They respond faster than they regret.
The Only Thing You Really Control
We don’t control market conditions, client emotions, competitor decisions, or the surprises that land at 4:59 p.m.
But we do control:
- Our composure
- Our next decision
- The standard we hold
- The energy we project
- The culture and character we reinforce
- The speed at which we adapt
You don’t get to choose the conditions – only how you adapt to them.
A Simple Question Heading Into 2026
Where are you waiting for a “better position” instead of responding from the one you’re already in?
Because business – like Krav Maga – rewards the leaders who stop wishing for ideal conditions and start acting within the real ones.
You get what you get. Make your move.