Higher Performance Insights | The Ten Percent Solution to 100% of Life

June 4, 2024
higher performance insights

On a rainy Saturday in May, three friends walked into a barber shop and learned a timeless principle from Roy, the barber: "Invest ten percent of all you make for long-term growth." [1]


At first glance, it seems almost too simple, but Roy’s story is a testament to its transformative power.


Thirty-five years ago, Roy began saving ten percent of his income, diligently investing it in an equity-oriented index fund. Despite starting with modest means, his consistent dedication paid off. As his income grew, so did his investments, compounding over time and ultimately transforming him into a self-made millionaire.

This principle is not just about building financial wealth; it's about intentional investment in every aspect of life. Imagine if you applied this mindset to yourself, your family, your team, your systems, and your community. Consistent, intentional investment in these areas can generate compounding success over time.


David Chilton, in "The Wealthy Barber," emphasizes the power of paying yourself first. You prioritize long-term growth over short-term wants by automatically setting aside ten percent of your income for investments. This isn’t about quick wins but steady, incremental progress.


The ten percent solution is a strategic approach to sustainable success for executive teams. It means fostering a culture of continuous improvement and intentional growth within your institution. Investing in your team's development, enhancing operational systems, and nurturing community relationships creates a ripple effect that amplifies success across all areas.


Adopting this ten percent solution cultivates a habit of intentional growth, enriching every facet of your life and work. The principle is simple, and the impact is profound.

Team Discussion Question

How can the Ten Percent Solution apply to your work and team dynamics? Consider personal development, team collaboration, system improvements, and community engagement. How can small, steady investments in these areas lead to long-term, compounded success for your system? Where would be an easy place to start?

Research suggests leadership teams perform at just 60% of their performance potential, leaving a massive 40% on the table. That discretionary effort becomes the make-or-break point for campuses nationwide. This is the dilemma between genuine campus engagement and the dragging lag of campus inertia.

 

My latest book, CANCELAVERAGE: A Practical Guide to Accelerating Higher Team Performance, is a blueprint for this new standard. It's an invitation for leaders ready to lead with courage, challenge the status quo, and replace 'best practices' with something better.


If you're eager to move from busyness to brilliance, take advantage of the 2024 Graduation Special today!  BOOK A KEYNOTE now through 6/30/24, and you'll get 10 copies of the new #CancelAverage book!

 

Nearly half of the tour schedule has already been presold, so don’t wait! We want to accommodate your preferred dates.

 

Click the link, BOOK A KEYNOTE, to sharpen your team’s performance advantage today!

Help Spread the Word

If you found value in this post, we’d love your help spreading the word! Please consider sharing this on your favorite social media platform and tag Higher Performance Group and Dr. Joe Hill. Your support helps us reach and inspire more awesome people like you!

Like What You've Read?


Get practical, research-based ideas to Accelerate Higher Team Performance delivered straight to your inbox every Tuesday.

More Blog Articles

By HPG Info December 29, 2025
What Your Team Actually Needs From You This Winter Break DR. JOE HILL - Founder@ Higher Performance Group Michael Mathews VP for Innovation and Technology Oral Roberts University December 27, 2025 When The Best Gift Isn't Wrapped—It's Who You're Becoming in 202 6 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Do this calculation: Your holiday appreciation budget ÷ days until it's forgotten = the cost per day of feeling valued. For most campus leaders, that's roughly $1,000 ÷ 2 days = $500 per day of "thanks." Here's the uncomfortable truth: By January 5th, those gifts are forgotten. By January 15th, your team is wondering why 2026 feels exactly like 2025. By March, your best people are updating LinkedIn profiles. Not because you didn't appreciate them in December. Because appreciation without capability is actually insulting to talented people who know they could accomplish more if you'd just fix the systems. 73% of campus leaders report their teams feel appreciated, but only 31% feel equipped to do their best work. That 42-point gap? That's where your 2026 success or struggle will be determined. You have 8 days to decide: Spend 2026 managing adequacy (pundit leader) or building significance (solutionary leader). After January 2nd, the decision is made. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ THE PATTERN THAT WILL DEFINE YOUR 2026
By HPG Info December 10, 2025
Builder Insights from December's Peer-to-Peer Roundtable 2.9 million students walked away from traditional education in the last decade. Not because they hate learning. Because they discovered something educational leaders are just now admitting to each other in private Zoom rooms. Last Wednesday, a college president stood up (metaphorically—we were on Zoom, but you could feel him standing) and said something that made every superintendent in the room physically lean forward: " We have become habituated to viewing educational leadership through filters—analogous to social media platforms where individuals present curated identities disconnected from reality. Trinity Valley was profoundly guilty of this pattern—appearing to external audiences as an institution meeting mission while internally delivering bare minimum performance."  Jason Morrison, Ed. D. , President of Trinity Valley Community College in Texas, just named the thing everyone in educational leadership feels but nobody says out loud. Welcome to the Snapchat Filter Effect. Your institution looks great in the photos. The reality? That's a different story. And here's why this matters right now, today, in December 2025: 1.7 million students lost in higher education since 2014. 1.2 million departed K-12 since 2019. Combined, that's roughly the population of New Mexico—students who didn't disappear, they just opted for educational providers who weren't performing behind a filter. The market already delivered its verdict. The only question is whether educational leaders will respond with the courage this moment demands—or keep adjusting the filter settings while enrollment evaporates. Comment "FILTER" if this describes your institution right now. (I'll go first in comments. Yes, I've been guilty of this too.)
Show More