Sunjay Nath opened up the International Ticketing Association (INTIX) 2015 with a keynote presentation that encouraged attendees to be aware of their perceptions. According to Nath–an author and business speaker–our perceptions are the No. 1 thing that hold us back from progressing.
“You should question your assumptions when you’re stuck,” Nath said.
One assumption many leaders and managers make is focusing too much time on employees who are not motivated or don’t want to be at work. Nath calls this group of people the bottom 10 percent. Organizations often house a 10-80-10 breakdown, in that 10 percent (the top 10) are highly motivated and want to work. Eighty percent of the workers can be steered either way (to the top 10’s side or the bottom 10’s side).
Nath wrote a book about this called The 10-80-10 Principle: Unlocking Dynamic Performance, and he shared some of his insights about the concept during an INTIX session.
“The best way to influence the bottom 10 is through peers,” Nath said. “Action follows action, and inaction follows inaction.”
For instance, spend more of your time with the top 10 and the middle 80 will follow. How you do this boils down to what Nath called A.C.T. (awareness, choice, and time).
“In awareness, determine what you’re trying to do and who to influence,” Nath said. “Concerning choice, neutralize the bottom 10 by spending the minimal amount of time, energy, attention, and thought by stopping resources for the bottom group. With time, spend it on the top 10 group.”
Nath assured the attendees that direct management (or lecturing) to the bottom 10 would be fruitless. Only through peer pressure would attitudes and actions change. It’s basic human psychology. Most people want to belong to something. Which group you want them to belong to depends on where you spend your energy managing.
