Less and obsess…

In 1869, Francis Galton (Darwin’s cousin) published his first study on the origins of high achievement. Outliers, he believed, were remarkable in three ways: “they demonstrate unusual ability in combination with exceptional zeal and the capacity for hard labor.”

Not much has changed…

Here’s my observation of elite teammates after 21 years of BTL and 20 prior at CompuServe. The elite in any system do not invest a ton more hours toward mastering their craft. I mean the majority of Lockton producers travel like banchees and know their stuff. Every OSU grappler is in the gym hour after hour after hour. The k-dev krazies on Warren don’t sneak out early unless it’s to go to some event where they’re networking, selling, or learning. So, what’s the lever?

Simple, really. The difference between good and great is not the hours worked – it’s the effort in the hours. The elite exert more effort, a lot more concentrated effort. You see the elite start with a strong sense of self (CORE) and a clear aim for their labor (OPUS). Clarity cuts clutter.

The elite start their effort by doing less.

The world of work is filled with bs meetings, bs workouts, which lead to bs kinda effort. The elite do not have time for bs. They stop doing the stuff that lots of good folks don’t have the courage to cut. You see, the elite are performance aggressive. They get more out of an hour workout because they put more into it. Simple physics really. If you want to become elite in any endeavor, start by deciding what you’re not going to do.

I don’t deal with public companies, as an example. Way too much b.s. for me. My focus is narrowed. I want to build my business in Cbus and KC almost exclusively. Focus narrows further. I want to grow old but not tired with a few business owners, leaders, and high performers who believe in BTL, believe in themselves, believe in something bigger than themselves, and believe in going “full thrust” (Thanks, Grappy)! My focus narrows yet again. I want BTL to be a loosely held coalition with high standards. Nice and narrow.

I’m obsessed with creating greatness in a few. Do less, then obsess. (Thanks, Morten Hansen). Good…

Live hard. Love harder…