10% Your Way to Greatness

95% of all organizations (small to big, for-profit or non-profit) are mostly average. And 5% are genuinely exceptional. These are my estimates, and I feel they are directionally correct. It’s rare to encounter a truly remarkable organization, but most industries have at least one example.

Take gas stations, for example. They are, by and large, forgettable. In fact, most of the ones around here are cramped, dark, and dingy, with bathrooms available only for the most urgent of emergencies. In the South, Buc-ees is turning everything we’ve come to expect of convenience stores upside down—wide, clean, inviting spaces. Fantastic bathrooms. And warm greetings.

Is it hard to do what Buc-ees does? Probably. And that’s why more convenience stores are not like this.

In fact, when you look at the top 5%, the category leaders, most of what they do takes tremendous resources, top-notch processes, and a fantastic team culture. Which means most member organizations can’t do what they do.

Or can we?

At the core, the top 5% are taking everyday experiences and making them better. They are exceeding your expectations. And this is a strategy anyone can successfully implement, whether you are a volunteer leader or a staff CEO.

We can exceed members’ expectations by a mere 10%, and it’s still a win.

Here’s an example:

A standard out-of-office message might be a quick one-sentence message that says, “I’m out of the office until Tuesday, May 9th, for PTO.”

I’m often traveling to speak, so I create LOTS of OOO messages, and I want them to be engaging. Sometimes my auto-reply messages share a tip or a bit of research, but more often they are a personal story, and I try to make them funny. People sometimes email me just to read my latest out-of-office message. Boosting engagement can be as simple as taking something ordinary and making it 10% more special.

And you don’t have to make your whole organization 10% more special; you can start with just one thing.

Here are some prompts to get you started:

➡How about warm welcomes when people come into your next virtual meeting?

➡Or 10% warmer welcomes for everyone who attends your next in-person event?

➡Can you make your next meeting 10% more participatory?

➡What happens if you smile 10% more on your next Zoom?

➡Or how does the conversation go if you shine a light on someone else 10% more?

➡ In your next email, can you take 2 extra minutes to make it 10% more special?

What is the thing you want to make 10% more special this week?