The Twenty Percenter
Weekly advice for top business professionals.
Great is the Enemy of Good (2 Min Read) | Vol. 195 March 20, 2026 “You’re only as good as you’re willing to be bad…The fact that you’re not going to be good at something or that you’re going to fail at something—that’s OK. Because you’re never going to get good unless you’re willing to …
The Delegation Matrix (3 Min Read) | Vol. 194 March 13, 2026 “Some decisions are consequential and irreversible — one-way doors — and these decisions must be made methodically, carefully, slowly, with great deliberation and consultation.” – Jeff Bezos The Delegation Matrix In my coaching, I see the same pattern over and over. A business …
The Red Right Hand of Resolve (2 Min Read) | Vol. 193 March 6, 2026 “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.” ― Winston S. Churchill The Red Right Hand of Resolve Wendy and I have been binging Peaky Blinders before the movie comes out this …
Two Laws Every Leader Should Know About Time (4 Min Read) | Vol. 192 February 27, 2026 “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.” – Douglas Hofstadter Two Laws Every Leader Should Know About Time Read that quote again. It’s a riddle wrapped in a truth bomb. …
Marco Polo (3 Min Read) | Vol. 191 February 20, 2026 “The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali Marco Polo A surprising favorite from my 2025 reading stack was …
The Solomon Paradox (2 Min Read) | Vol. 190 February 13, 2026 “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” ― Isaac Asimov The Solomon Paradox King Solomon University of Waterloo psychological scientist Igor Grossmann studies wisdom. He explores the times when we make good and …
6,000 Wiener Dogs Can’t Be Wrong (2 Min Read) | Vol. 189 February 6, 2026 “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” — Peter Drucker 6,000 Wiener Dogs Can’t Be Wrong “I feel like I’m on a rocket ship and …
There’s a Lot Between All and Nothing (2 Min Read) | Vol. 188 January 30, 2026 “The most important step a man can take. It’s not the first one, is it? It’s the next one. Always the next step.” – Brandon Sanderson. There’s a Lot Between All and Nothing When I was a grad student …
One Room. One Book. Radical Simplicity (3 Min Read) | Vol. 187 January 23, 2026 “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry One Room. One Book. Radical Simplicity In April, I’m taking my first trip to Japan. While …
Switch Off Your Should-O-Meter (1 Min Read) | Vol. 186 January 16, 2026 “‘Should,’ is a shame-based statement that creates stress and anxiety in your body and mind.” – Suzanna Newsonen Switch Off Your Should-O-Meter Earlier this month, I went for a walk with my friend Juanpablo. He’s in a career transition and shared how …
