What I Learned This Week: When the Last 5% Costs You the Other 80%
The What If Journal: Reflections from a leader in progress
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the law of diminishing returns — not in theory, but in how it shows up in my day-to-day leadership.
There are certain things I can get locked in on. A detail that isn’t quite right. A project that could be just a little bit better. A tweak that might improve something by a few percentage points. And before I know it, I’m spending an inordinate amount of time chasing that last bit of improvement.
And to be clear, details matter. Excellence matters. I care deeply about doing things well. I don’t want to lead with a mindset of “good enough” in a lazy or careless way.
But I’m starting to realize there’s a point where that pursuit of excellence quietly turns into diminishing returns. Where the energy required to move something from 95% to 100% begins to outweigh the actual impact of that improvement.
And more than that, it begins to cost me something else.
The Leadership Reflection
The real issue isn’t just the time spent on the last 5%. It’s what that time takes me away from.
Because while I’m refining something small, something bigger is often sitting unattended. A conversation that needs to happen. A leader who needs development. A decision that needs clarity. A direction that needs to be reinforced.
And the truth is, most of the time, no one else would even notice the difference between 95% and 100% on the thing I’m obsessing over. But they absolutely feel the impact of the 80% of the organization that isn’t getting my attention.
That’s the tension.
As leaders, we don’t just decide what gets done. We decide what gets our focus. And our focus is one of the most limited resources we have.
It takes discernment to know where excellence actually matters most. There are moments where the last 5% is critical. Where details carry weight. Where precision matters deeply. But there are also many moments where pushing for perfection doesn’t create value — it just creates delay.
I’m learning that leadership isn’t just about raising standards. It’s about placing attention wisely. It’s about knowing when something is strong enough to move forward so that I can give my energy to what matters most.
Because if I’m not careful, my tendency toward detail can actually hinder progress. Not by doing something wrong, but by focusing too long on something that doesn’t need that level of attention.
And in doing so, I can unintentionally trade meaningful momentum for marginal improvement.
The What If
What if the next level of growth in your leadership isn’t found in perfecting the last 5% — but in redirecting your focus to the 80% that actually needs you most?