The 98% Rule

When I graduated from high school, I ranked fourth in a class of 400—placing me in the top one percent.

Some people might hear that and say, “If you had worked just a little harder, you could have been valedictorian or salutatorian.”

Maybe so.

But the students who finished ahead of me had devoted an extraordinary amount of their time and energy to academics. Succeeding in the classroom mattered to me, too—but it wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

I was heavily involved in sports, student government, music and other activities. I had friends. I had girlfriends. I occasionally goofed off. I was interested in more than one part of life, and I wanted the opportunity to experience as much of it as I could.

Even with all of that, I still finished in the top one percent.

More importantly, those other experiences helped me develop skills that could never have come from a textbook alone. I learned about teamwork, leadership, creativity, communication and relationships. I discovered interests that would eventually help shape both my life and my career.

That well-rounded experience carried into college. I continued to succeed academically while developing in other ways—and I began to understand that being successful didn’t always require being number one.

Years later, that lesson became the foundation of a business philosophy I call the 98% rule.

The rule is simple:

Constantly pursue excellence—but don’t confuse excellence with perfection.

That final two percent can consume twice the time and ten times the money, and most people will never see the difference between 98 percent and 100 percent.

I understand that this philosophy doesn’t apply everywhere. Some professions and situations require absolute precision. When safety, health, legal responsibility or someone’s well-being is involved, close enough is not good enough.

But in creative work, the difference between 98 percent and 100 percent is often subjective. One person’s idea of perfection may be entirely different from another’s. Pursuing that elusive final fraction can drain the time, energy and resources that could be invested in another worthy idea—or in the people and experiences that make life meaningful.

The 98% rule has allowed me to remain ambitious without becoming consumed by perfection. It has helped me complete projects, pursue new ideas, maintain a variety of interests and create a life with room for both achievement and joy.

This isn’t permission to settle for mediocrity.

Ninety-eight percent still requires preparation, discipline, good judgment and a relentless commitment to excellence.

It simply recognizes that perfection can become the enemy of progress—and sometimes even the enemy of a well-lived life.

Pursue excellence. Leave room for life.