The Last 10%

The mountaineer shouting down the cliff face urges the person below to just hang on, the crowd roars the distressed Olympic marathoner to the finish line, and the intrepid explorer crawls across the burning desert . . . these iconic images are familiar. We’ve all seen enough movies to know what the heroic version of giving the last 10% looks like. But what does the last 10% look like in real life?

 

What got me thinking about this was a Seth Godin blog post from a few years ago that popped into my mind recently. Godin discussed what essentially makes you stand out from the others: the last 10%. It implies that you’ve already committed to giving 90% of everything it takes. It’s not just about under-promising and over-delivering – it’s about delivering something exceptional even when you haven’t promised.

 

The last 10% may be particularly tough and, to some, hardly worth the effort. But it is worth it. After all, if the last 10% were easy, everyone would be doing it. As Godin says:

The last ten percent is the signal we look for, the way we communicate care and expertise and professionalism . . . The hard part is the last ten percent, sure, or even the last one percent, but it's the hard part because everyone is busy doing the easy part already.

We all want to make a contribution and add value to our organizations. And organizations want to give added value to their clients. Adding value just might mean going for that last 10%.

 

Think about your last ten percent:

• What do you do that is unique, above and beyond expectations, to deliver results to and for your organization?
• What do you do to differentiate yourself from the competition?
• How do you give the last 10% of meaningful value to your clients?

I believe the last 10% is the space within which the most remarkable things happen.