The 1% Solution by Tom Connellan - Book review

The 1% Solution for Work and Life

How to Make Your Next 30 Days the Best Ever

By: Tom Connellan

Published: December 16, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 138 pages
ISBN-10: 0976950626
ISBN-13: 978-0976950622
Publisher: Peak Performance Press








"When you average it out,the difference between exceptional and exceptionally exceptional is one percent", writes keynote speaker Tom Connellan in his enjoyable and inspirational book The 1% Solution for Work and Life: How to Make Your Next 30 Days the Best Ever. The author presents an engaging business parable that describes how the greatest performers in any field are only 1% better than the rest.

Tom Connellan shares the often forgotten wisdom that becoming the truly elite participant in any endeavor doesn't require a person to be many times more effective than their competition. That 1% improvement in performance doesn't require a doubling of effort, but simply becoming 1% better at many different aspects of your life and work. As an example, Tom Connellan points out that the difference in performance between winning an Olympic gold medal, and receiving no medal at all, is that 1% difference. To achieve that 1% boost in performance, that sets the top performers apart from the field, the author recommends doing things better today than they were done yesterday. Instead of spending time with getting motivated, Tom Connellan offers the timeless concept of just doing something, which generates its own motivation to do even more.



Tom Connellan (photo left) understands that the most critical aspect of achieving peak performance is to always take some form of action. Even small amounts of action, that may even appear insignificant, can leverage themselves into very large accomplishments. The well known 80/20 rule works in favor of the person who does something, instead of making the choice to do nothing. Tom Connellan recommends the principle of deliberate practice. By practicing in this manner, everyone will become much better at what they do and achieve. The key is to practice, assess the the performance, and get feedback on the level of performance. The author reminds people to only compare their performance to their own level, and to seek to always reach a new personal best. Instead of going full out, which Tom Connellan considers to be counterproductive, he suggests working in bursts punctuated with rest periods. He suggests that everyone discover their own natural rhythm to achieve even greater productivity.

For me, the power of the book is in its simplicity. Tom Connellan provides his timeless wisdom through a pleasant business fable, where the reader can identify with the characters. As the story unfolds, the principle of small constant change and improvement is made clear to the reader. The idea that tiny incremental increases in performance add up to peak performance in the field becomes an all encompassing theme of the story. The reader follows the narrative, and learns how to find that 1% solution along with the protagonist. The overall blending of ideas into a business fable is a very effective vehicle for sharing the author's premises about enhancing performance levels.

The chapters are laid out in a logical format, and the fable follows each concept through an entire chapter. Along the way, the author inserts practical and actionable techniques for leveraging small improvements in performance. At the same time, Tom Connellan describes the principle of deliberate practice in an easy to understand way. With the story line to illustrate the concept, the reader becomes aware of the value of deliberate practice, and of the techniques required to use it effectively. At the same time, Tom Connellan recognizes that all people are individuals, with their own personal goals and requirements. As a result, the readers are encouraged to establish their own personal times of activity and of rest. The end result is that crucial 1% boost in performance that makes a world of difference.

I highly recommend the delightful and idea packed book The 1% Solution for Work and Life: How to Make Your Next 30 Days the Best Ever by Tom Connellan, to anyone who is serious about boosting their personal level of performance. The fun and brisk storyline provides an excellent backdrop for the compelling and performance boosting ideas.

Read the delightful and wisdom filled book The 1% Solution for Work and Life: How to Make Your Next 30 Days the Best Ever by Tom Connellan, and put small improvements in your performance to work for you. That 1% increase in productivity can mean the difference between the gold medal in your field, and being just another also ran.

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