The 5% That Changes Everything

When you're operating at the top, the difference between exceptional and average rarely comes down to working harder—it comes down to working smarter. I’ve seen this time and time again in my own leadership journey and with clients I coach: the highest leverage moves often look deceptively small. But when done right, they create exponential impact. So ask yourself:
What’s the 5% of your effort driving 95% of your results—and are you doubling down on it?

Audit, Don’t Assume

Even the most seasoned leaders fall into the trap of assuming where their time is best spent. Start with a ruthless audit: Where do your hours go? Which meetings, tasks, or relationships actually produce results? I once spent 30 minutes a week prepping a status deck for a senior VP—until I realized it never got read. That time? Now it fuels strategic planning sessions with my directs. The ROI is incomparable.

Tool You Can Use: Try this 3-column breakdown for a week:
Column 1: Time Spent | Column 2: Impact Created | Column 3: Could It Be Delegated?

Engineer Your Calendar Like a Product

If you built your week like you build a system—measurable, testable, and optimized—you’d stop treating your calendar like a to-do list and start treating it like a business asset. One of my favorite productivity pivots? Turning recurring 1:1s into coaching sprints. No updates. Just clarity, unblockers, and growth.

Question to Ask Weekly: Is this meeting a multiplier or a placeholder?

Know Your Leverage Moves

Every leader has leverage moves—the unique actions only you can take that unlock value for your team or company. For some, it's setting vision. For others, unblocking politics or spotting systemic inefficiencies. Identify your 3 and guard time for them like a product launch. Everything else? Automate or delegate.

My own? Coaching future VPs. Pressure-testing strategy. Simplifying complex messes into clear plans.

Drop the Dead Weight, Fast

This part takes courage. That product that’s not working, that person you keep trying to “fix,” that project you inherited but never questioned—cut it. Pruning is not failure. It’s leadership. The best leaders don’t just build—they refactor.

Remember: You don’t scale by doing more. You scale by doing less better.

The Hidden Cost of Unfocused Effort

In the world of high-achievers, burnout isn’t caused by doing too much—it’s caused by doing too much of the wrong things. Focus is your shield, your sword, and your secret weapon. Ruthlessly optimize your 5%, and you'll watch the rest fall into place.

Want help identifying your 5%?
Schedule a free consultation and let’s dissect where your real power lies.