Having coached top executives at Fortune 500 companies for decades now, I’m often asked, “What are the mindsets that separate successful people from extremely successful people? Person A is just as smart and talented—how come Person B got further in their career?” To illustrate one of those key mindsets, I often use this exercise.
Raise your hands as high as you can.
Freeze.
Now raise them 5% higher.
Wait a minute! I said as high as you can the first time. Where did that extra 5% come from? Here’s a fundamental leadership question. If you did reach the extra 5%, why did you do it?
A disproportionate amount of your success comes from your effort in the last 5%. Let’s use fitness examples and then bring it back to work and life. Picture doing a plank. If you’re feeling type A, do one after reading this. When you get to the point where you are ready to drop, say to yourself, “Just five more seconds.” Count out loud, and you can do it. Let’s say you do a push-up challenge. The average person can do four with good form. By the end of number four, you’re feeling the burn. You don’t have anything left. Do one-half more. A push-up from your knees counts as half. A day later, do five. Do it daily, and soon Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling you for tips.
There is a power in understanding why it works. That last tiny effort causes microtears in the muscle. You surpassed your limit. You blew through the stop sign! Then your body says: My person is crazy. They might do this again. And it floods that area with lactic acid to heal those microtears. That sore feeling later is a good sore, a healing sore. Remember our superpower of being able to adapt? Recovery is as important as exertion, and your body heals the muscle back stronger than it was before. Think about it. Your body is amazing. But it required the microtears, those tiny rips to build the new muscle.
The math is shocking. All the gains come from your last 5%, zero from the first 95%. If you can do four, and you only do four, you just hold the plateau. Do you really want to huff and puff—all that effort—to only hold your ground? Do that tiny extra, count to five, to get gains.
Now, how can you apply the “extra five” mindset to other key parts of your life? What is that big area at work or in life where you’re feeling stuck? How do you plan to apply this? Here are some examples.
Before every meeting or project, say, “Okay, I have a plan. Hmm, what would make it 5% better?” Great ideas come from within you, but sometimes don’t come out unless they are asked for.
At the end of a long, tiring meeting, take a few seconds to recap exact next steps. Some of the best breakthroughs happen at the end. Ask that one extra question that no one else asks; review that additional KPI. Clarify exactly: Who’s doing what by when.
Send the thank-you note. Emails are even more impactful when you send them to their boss. A physical card stands out now more than ever. President George Bush (No. 41) was famous for sending these, knowing their impact. A five-second video message by phone has a wow factor.
Make eye contact when wrapping a call to come off as more senior. Don’t let the last visual be you looking for the leave button. Subtly hover the cursor over the leave button in advance. Then look at the camera lens, smile, say your goodbye, and click without looking.
Add a moment of gratitude: At day’s end, jot down one thing you’re thankful for or say it out loud.
Pause when angry: Take five breaths and ask yourself how you wish to respond. This activates your prefrontal cortex to balance your amygdala. Some regrets disappear in seconds.
Try 5% more kindness: Give a compliment, tip a little extra, or hold the door for one more person.
Save 5% more: Whether for retirement or emergencies, the little extra sets your future free.
Sleep 5% longer: For many, that’s just 20 more minutes. Over a year, it adds up to life-changing recovery.
Whatever the challenge, from now on, to have more breakthroughs in your life, you be the one that asks more—of yourself.
Bill Hoogterp is a bestselling author, an entrepreneur, and one of the top executive coaches worldwide. He has advised dozens of Fortune 500 CEOs, and last year, his company, LifeHikes, offered trainings at more than 100 global companies in 47 countries and seven languages. In his series for Fortune, he helps executives striving to become better leaders. To learn more about Bill, visit lifehikes.com. To submit a question for a future column, email bill_hoogterp@lifehikes.com.
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