Why Most Leaders Chase the Wrong Scoreboard

What if the scoreboard you’ve been chasing your entire life is the wrong one?

In this solo episode of The Long Game, Josh Sparks shares the story behind The Stoic CEO, a keynote that challenged how leaders think about success, ambition, discipline, and fulfillment.

Josh grew up in chaos. Foster care. Addiction in the home. Survival mode from an early age.

That survival instinct eventually turned into ambition.

He built a roofing company that grew into 25 brands across North America and nearly 1,500 employees. From the outside, it looked like success.

But internally, something was still missing.

This episode explores the realization that many ambitious people eventually face:

You can win the scoreboard you created in your head… and still feel unfulfilled.

Drawing from Stoic philosophy and real leadership experiences, Josh breaks down the four virtues that changed how he approaches business and life:

Wisdom
Courage
Justice
Temperance

Along the way, he shares lessons on:

Leadership under pressure
The difference between intelligence and wisdom
Firing toxic high performers
Discipline vs motivation
Building culture through accountability
Why most people anchor happiness to the future
Reframing adversity and setbacks
Creating a life that can withstand chaos

This is a conversation about becoming the kind of person capable of building something meaningful without losing yourself in the process.

Because eventually every leader has to answer the same question:

What scoreboard are you actually playing for?

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The Long Game is a podcast hosted by Josh Sparks, featuring conversations about leadership, entrepreneurship, personal growth, and what it really takes to build enduring businesses and meaningful lives.

Josh is the founder of Infinity Home Services, one of North America’s largest residential roofing and exterior services organizations, with 25 brands across the United States and Canada.

Through conversations with founders, operators, executives, and industry leaders, The Long Game explores the lessons, principles, failures, and philosophies behind sustainable success, both in business and in life.

Because the best things are rarely built overnight.