The “Rule of 10 Percent” and Why It Matters

Ok so I have a few rules that I live by.  I have collected these rules from the smartest people in my life. The first I share with you is what I call "the rule of  10 percent." 

This rule started with my Grandfather DeBona, a brilliant man who has he battled cancer continued to tell me that "it only costs 10 percent more to go first class" My grandfather worked at a chemical plant in Ohio and though he worked extremely hard he believed in quality and that you don’t have to have a lot of money to have great experiences, nice things, or to be happy.

The "the rule of 10 percent" means many things and can be applied to most things in life. It is about quality, commitment, effort and character. It is about the little effort or thought that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. 

Stuff

When applied to material goods "the rule" illustrates that quality wins out.  When you consider all factors such as durability, warranties, and design quality is king.  Understand that I am all about saving money, but strangely enough sometimes saving money is about spending more money. 

Example:
You are getting an oil change and one oil is $15 and lasts for 3,000 miles the second is $20 but lasts 5,000 miles. Sure the second option is more expensive initially but once you factor the gas money you save from getting less oil changes during the year it is most likely going to be cheaper.

When it comes to "stuff" quality doesn’t really cost as much more as you may think, you just need to step back and look at the big picture.

Effort

I know that my Grandfather meant this rule to be applied to things like cars, clothing and other goods, but where this rule shines is in the daily tasks we all do each day.

It is 10 percent of effort that separates the good from the great. Jim Collins argues in his book Good To Great that it take the same effort to be "great" as it does to be "good".  I disagree with him, I think it takes 10 percent more effort to be great rather than just being good. Everyone is doing the 90 percent it takes to be good, but few do the extra 10 percent to be great.

Examples:

Goal: I want to lose ten pounds. 

Problem:  The person start seating better, the go to the gym and exercise.  Despite the changes the person only loses about 7 pounds and never makes it to their goal.

Solution: The extra ten percent.

• Use the stairs instead of the elevator when arriving and leaving the office.
• Stop parking close: when shopping or going to the gym stop being lazy and park at the end of the lot and walk!
• Drink Water:  That right put down the diet soda, juice, coffee, and everything else. Water is zero calories and better yet no caffeine.

The Takeaway

Above is just a small example of the 10 percent rule applied to a small task, but I encourage you to think about this rule as you go about your day. What is the one smal thing that you can do today that your competitor is not doing that will make your product or service great.