Why Adopting a 1 Better Every Day Mindset Can Transform Your Leadership

We’ve all heard the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” It’s a reminder that greatness isn’t achieved overnight but through consistent effort over time. As leaders, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to be perfect, aiming for big achievements and major successes. But what if the secret to becoming a better leader wasn’t in these grand gestures, but in making small, steady improvements each day? That’s where the 1 better every day mindset comes in.

The beauty of this approach is how simple and manageable it is. It doesn’t require huge changes or instant results. Instead, it encourages us to focus on small, daily improvements that, over time, add up to something much bigger. By adopting this mindset, not only can you improve your leadership skills, but you can also inspire your team to embrace the idea of continuous growth.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the basics of the 1 better every day mindset and show you how to apply it to your leadership style. You’ll learn how this simple concept can dramatically improve your effectiveness as a leader and help your organization achieve lasting success.

What is the 1 Better Every Day Theory?

The 1 better every day idea is a simple yet powerful concept based on the principle of continuous improvement. The main idea is that by focusing on getting just 1 better every day, these small improvements will add up over time, leading to significant, lasting growth.

This approach has gained popularity in recent years, especially in sports and business. A well-known example comes from Dave Brailsford, who was the performance director for British Cycling starting in 2002. At that time, British Cycling wasn’t very successful, but Brailsford introduced a strategy called “the aggregation of marginal gains.” This meant focusing on making small improvements in every area, from the riders’ nutrition to the design of their bike seats, even down to how they washed their hands.

These tiny changes made a huge difference, and soon British cyclists were winning multiple Olympic gold medals and dominating the Tour de France.

Here’s a breakdown of how the theory works:

• Focus on Progress, Not Perfection: The 1% better every day mindset helps us shift our focus from trying to be perfect to making steady progress. It recognizes that real growth doesn’t happen in a flash, but through consistent effort over time.
• Manageable and Sustainable: Unlike big changes that can lead to burnout, the 1% approach is easy to manage. It doesn’t burden us with the stress of major overhauls but encourages us to take small, practical steps each day.
• Holistic Improvement: This idea isn’t just about improving one part of your leadership. You can apply it to many areas, like how you communicate, make decisions, understand emotions, and even your technical skills.
• Psychological Benefits: The 1% better every day method gives us frequent feelings of success. Each small achievement boosts our confidence and keeps us motivated, creating a positive cycle that drives further growth.

How to Be 1% Better Every Day

Here’s how you can start incorporating this powerful approach into your leadership journey:

Find Areas to Improve

To get 1% better every day, start by figuring out where you need to grow. This could be anything from sharpening your communication skills to better organizing your time or increasing your emotional awareness. Choose areas that are crucial for your role as a leader and will make a big difference in how you lead.

You can start by reflecting on your own skills or asking your team for feedback. What challenges do you face? Where can you improve? Once you have a few ideas, break these areas down into smaller, actionable steps.

Set Small, Achievable Goals

A common mistake in personal development is setting goals that are too big or too vague. These kinds of goals can be overwhelming and lead to frustration. The 1% better every day mindset suggests setting small, clear goals that you can achieve each day. These should be challenging but realistic enough to complete in a day.

For instance, if time management is your focus, start by spending 10 minutes each morning planning your day. The next day, aim to follow your plan for most of the day. Small, daily goals add up over time and help you make steady progress.

Reflect Daily

To improve just 1% each day, it’s important to reflect on your progress. This doesn’t need to be a lengthy process. Just spend a few minutes at the end of each day thinking about what you did well and where you can improve.

Ask yourself:

• What went well today?
• Where could I have done better?
• What small change can I make tomorrow to be better?

Learn from Failure

A key part of the 1 better every day mindset is accepting that failure is a natural part of the process. When you’re working on improving, setbacks are bound to happen. What’s important is how you handle them.

Instead of seeing failure as a setback, view it as a chance to learn and grow. When things don’t go as planned, take time to understand what went wrong and how you can improve next time.

Build a Supportive Network

Growth is easier with support. To fully embrace the 1% better every day approach, surround yourself with people who support your growth. This could be your team, a mentor, or a group of other leaders focused on improvement.

A supportive network can offer encouragement, feedback, and accountability. They help keep you motivated and celebrate your wins with you. Being part of a community can also introduce you to new ideas and perspectives that can boost your development.

Celebrate Your Achievements

One of the great things about the 1 better every day approach is that it helps you see real results over time. As you make small improvements each day, take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate your successes.

Celebrations don’t need to be grand. It could be something simple like treating yourself after a productive week or taking time to reflect on your progress.

1 Better Every Day Quotes

Here are a few 1 better every day quotes that have resonated with me and that I believe can inspire you as well:

• “Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.” – Unknown
• “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
• “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
• “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

Scorecard on 1 Better Every Day (Pdf.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

You begin with one small step. Then you take another, and another. Each step feels easy and manageable. Instead of worrying about the big goal ahead, you concentrate on improving each step just a bit. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. As time goes by, you glance back and are amazed at how far you’ve traveled, almost without noticing it. This is the magic of the 1 better every day approach.

References

• Forbes.com
• Corporate-edge.com.au
• The-leadership-coaches.com