Dr. Tom Connellan

We live in an increasingly upside-down world. To quote the great sage Yogi Berra, “even the future ain’t what it used to be.” The scope, complexity, and rate of change is increasing in virtually every organization. Yet, individuals at all levels must keep focused on producing results — even in the face of greater instability.

This presentation is based upon Tom’s book – The 1% Solution for Work and Life. It incorporates some of his research into Olympic Gold Medal Winners. Tom found that in the men’s downhill at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, for example, the difference between first place and fourth place was 1.08 seconds or .9%. In all Olympic events, the difference between a gold medal and no medal averages about 1%. Between 1st and 10th place, the average is about 2%.

The difference between a good company and a great one is also about 1%. While winners are almost never 100% better than their competition, they are almost always 1% better at 100’s of things.

Whether it’s sales reps, manufacturing directors, engineers, entrepreneurs, or others, the key to building sustainable profits in an upside down world lies not in trying to be 100% better than your competition; it lies in simply being 1% better in everything you do.

Best of all, by researching Olympic athletes, Tom’s uncovered a unique way business leaders in a high pressure situation can jump-start performance within 72 hours. Tom coined the term "Behavioral Leverage" to describe this process.

If you’re looking for ways to help your audience keep forward momentum strong in turbulent times, let go of the old and embrace the new, this presentation is a good choice for you.