Why the 85/15 Rule Saves Meetings

Has this ever happened to you? You’re in a meeting, and the discussion is going round and round in circles. The goal is to make a decision, but no one seems to be able to agree on anything…?

To top it off, the longer the discussion goes, the more heated it becomes. Ever notice how people become more passionate about their opinions when they are being challenged? So, the meeting isn’t going anywhere except longer, and you’re looking at all of the items on the agenda that you now won’t have time to discuss.?

Then, just as the meeting is concluding, you realize the worst part…?

Everyone was so caught up arguing the meticulous details, you didn’t even realize you agreed on the main points! Talk about a wasted hour. How often does our need to agree on the 15% details stop us from moving forward with the 85% big picture we agree on? Rarely do I find people 100% disagreeing with each other in meetings over the big things—usually they’re happy with the general consensus, but then use disagreements over micro issues to procrastinate making a decision.

Have you ever met someone who actually wants a longer meeting? Neither have I. That’s why I implemented the 85/15 rule in our meetings. If we can all agree on 85% of a matter, we move on. We’ll table the other 15% and discuss it on a call scheduled specifically to iron out those details.?

The last thing you want to do is waste time discussing a topic only to realize that your opinions really weren't that different in the first place. If you agree on a general direction for the given concept, there's no need to continue running in circles.

If you remember, last week I talked about the greatest lesson my father taught me. He wasn’t a salesman, but he knew how to follow the winds and read the room. When presenting a new concept, idea, or change, speed up the decision process by looking for the 85% YES from the team instead of focusing on the 15% NO or differing opinion. This approach may sound like a risk, but here’s why it’s not… the 15% details aren’t usually pressing at that moment anyway, and at the end of the conversation, it’s amazing how often everyone is just saying the same things in different ways. Just like you would follow the winds in a sales meeting, learn to be a fact-finder, and find the consensus on your team.

"Perfection is the enemy of progress."?—Winston Churchill

And, contrary to popular “yes, man” belief, it’s okay to disagree. In fact, it’s actually healthy. Jeff Bezos has long made public his belief that harmony in the workplace is overrated and that you don’t need complete agreement or buy-in from a team to move forward. Any issue should be discussed openly with honest feedback. Find that 85% mark, then move on.

If you continually aim for 100%, you’re going to fail. If you always strive for perfect agreement and perfection, you’ll never move forward. Why? Because there is always room for improvement. Don’t strive for perfection; strive for excellence. That’s what the 85% rule does for you. Focus on the 85% you do agree on and you just might find that you’re all on the same page after all.

The 85% rule is not new. It is a theory based on productivity. Believe it or not, it was not originally created for business. Have you ever heard of Carl Lewis??

Carl Lewis is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996, when he last won an Olympic event.

But Lewis almost didn’t become one of the most decorated American track and field athletes of all time. (His record was broken in 2021 by Allyson Felix.) In fact, Lewis was notorious for being a slow starter. At the 40-meter mark in a 100-meter sprint, Lewis was almost always at the back of the group; nevertheless, at the finish line, Lewis had usually secured the lead, earning him the nickname “Master Finisher.”?

What made this possible? Why would Lewis be finishing a race—in the lead—still calm and collected while the other runners were worn out, grimace-faced, and tight-fisted??

It’s the 85% rule. Lewis was instructed not to run at 100% effort. While it seems contradictory to our “Do your best at all times, give 110% culture,” Lewis was running faster than all the other runners by avoiding maximum intensity.?

I’ve adapted that same idea for meetings…85% agreement is enough to move forward, then schedule a logistical call if needed to sort out the final 15% and cross the finish line. If you’re always pushing to get 100% agreement from your team on every issue, you’ll get the same results Lewis’ competitors did: burnout and low morale.

If you focus on following the winds and aiming for an 85% agreement toward decisions that need to move forward, then you’ll actually be able to move forward and thrive as a team as you cover each item on your agenda. When people are aware that there will still be some wiggle room to finalize that last 15%, they are able to relax and remove those proverbial orange cones and flaggers. You’re able to reach an agreeable conclusion in a timely manner, and you can revisit the 15% at another meeting.?