"Tiny changes, remarkable results."
James Clear
Author of Atomic Habits
- Date
1 % Edge Playbook: Compound Tiny Gains into Market‑Moving Results
posted in Built For Hard
Adam Kreek
Big launches often stall at the final 20 percent—meetings multiply, momentum dies.
The cure isn’t a moon‑shot; it’s the 1 % Edge: small, relentless improvements that stack week after week.
Use this playbook to prove the concept in just five days.
The 1 % Edge Framework
1. Identify the Gold‑Medal Metric: Pick the single metric that matters most right now (e.g., shelf velocity, first‑call resolution, cycle time). Baseline it before you start.
2. Design a Five‑Day Micro‑Move: Brainstorm changes that are cheap, fast, and reversible. Select one move that can lift the metric by roughly one percent.
3. Implement and Measure: Launch the micro‑move within 24 hours. Track the metric daily against the baseline.
4. Lock the Gain: If the metric beats baseline by ≥ 1 percent on Friday, document the new process and make it the standard.
5. Compound: On Monday, choose the next micro‑move. Four cycles deliver approximately a five percent uplift with minimal spend.
Five‑Day Sprint Schedule
• Monday – Baseline & Brainstorm: Capture current metric; list ten micro‑moves.
• Tuesday – Select & Plan: Choose the highest‑leverage move; assign one owner.
• Wednesday – Implement: Deploy the move before noon; log quick feedback.
• Thursday – Measure & Tweak: Compare metric to baseline; adjust if needed.
• Friday – Review & Lock: Confirm uplift; document the gain; announce next week’s focus.
Why It Works
• British Cycling’s “marginal gains” approach produced a 17 × Olympic medal increase in eight years (Haake, 2016).
• Toyota’s continuous‑improvement system reports 7 percent annual productivity gains from small, daily tweaks (Liker, 2004).
Scoreboard
• Delta on Gold‑Medal metric each week
• Cumulative uplift after four cycles
• Time and cost per micro‑move
• Team sentiment: “We can influence outcomes”
For a PDF copy you can download [CLICK HERE]
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Adam Kreek and his team are on a mission to positively impact organizational cultures and leaders who make things happen.
Kreek is an Executive Business Coach who lives in Victoria, BC, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Seattle, Washington, USA, in the Pacific Northwest. He works with clients globally, often travelling to California in the San Francisco Bay Area, Atlanta, Georgia, Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist, a storied adventurer and a father.
He authored the bestselling business book, The Responsibility Ethic: 12 Strategies Exceptional People Use to Do the Work and Make Success Happen.
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