The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
William James
The fourth pattern of extraordinary careers is the 20/80 Principle of Performance – storming past your predefined objectives to deliver unexpected positive impact. It is the successful application of this principle that allows some professionals to stand out from the pack while others just don’t.
Most people know of the 80/20 principle: the observation of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923), that it’s the first 20% of effort that often contributes 80% of the benefit.
Unlike the 80/20 principle, in business it is usually the last 20% of what you accomplish (beyond predefined objectives), that allows you to truly differentiate yourself.
The tasks and objectives required for business careers are not all about glory. We spend 80% of our jobs in narrowly defined tasks that offer little chance of differentiation and which, on the surface, are quite inflexible. It’s the ability to get beyond achieving what others want you to do, and delivering unanticipated impact that will give you – and your company – the most return, creating results that can truly distinguish you.
The reality is that you can do what you are told at work – and do a good job of it - but still not have success or security in your position. Although you should always seek to meet the objectives outlined for your job, have no illusion that this is enough. Nearly everyone believes he meets his goals. In fact, 95 percent of professionals participating in our survey for our book said they “consistently meet their objectives”.
The Value of Changing the Assumptions
Successfully applying the 20/80 Principle of Performance requires that successful executives “Aim” extremely high, with the goal of dramatically increasing the rate of positive change within an organization.
In the unstable and constantly changing world of business today, leaders able to positively redefine performance expectations are critical to achieving and maintaining market leadership. Professionals who are able to focus energies and highlight opportunities that may improve growth, profits and brand are highly rewarded.
Focusing resources directly on the real, but often hidden problem/solution at hand can help to change the assumptions – and positively impact how you are valued.
This extract is taken from The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers by James M. Citrin and Richard A. Smith, published by Random House.
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