“What’s in the additional 10%?” I asked.
She smiled. “The stuff we really don’t want to do.”
In my personal life, I knew what this “stuff” looks like. (Don’t we all?) In my professional life, I know what that “stuff” is, too. Since work is the greatest team sport we all participate in, relationships matter…so I thought I’d explore what that additional 10% looks like:
- Volunteering to type up the notes and distribute post-meeting
- Creating the PPT pitch deck your colleagues aren’t raising their hands to complete
- Agreeing to reschedule your day to help a teammate complete a project
- Cleaning up the break room after the person who messed it up leaves the office
- Refilling the coffee pot, again, when you didn’t “kill the joe”
- Taking the time to schedule ongoing 1:1s when there’s not a performance management cycle making you do it
That additional 10% is the above and beyond behaviors that communicate silently that you’re committed to making things work not just for you, but for others, too. While the payoff isn’t always obvious, believe me, your 10% makes a difference. What would happen if you decided to just give 100%? Chances are, your extra effort would be missed.
Don’t ever resent giving more than others give — that’s leadership.
We’ve long shared that leadership isn’t something you expect — it’s something you do. There’s no ledger, no point system, to keep track of your extra effort. Leadership is a gift you give others without any expectation for return. When it is reciprocated, though, that’s magic. That’s a great relationship.
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