How Can You Compete in the Top 1% in Your Industry?

What’s the number one thing you can do to compete in the top 1% in terms of career progression? It’s really simple, but it takes commitment. There’s a simple saying I’d like to share in that regard: There is no such thing as luck—it’s only preparation meeting opportunity.

What do you think that means? How does that apply to you?

First, ask yourself three questions:

  • Are you disciplined?
  • Are you willing to commit one hour a week?
  • Are you willing to do it for the rest of your career?

If the answer is yes and if you think you can compete in the top 1%, then follow these suggestions.

First, read for an hour a week. Pick 10 to 12 publications and sift through them rapidly within that hour. These publications should cover all aspects of the world and relate to whatever industry you’re focused in, whether that’s politics, economics, and/or technology. You can pick many ways to get this information—digital, hard copy, newspaper, magazines, etc. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re getting a wide range of information and getting it fast.

“There is no such thing as luck—it’s only preparation meeting opportunity.”

Next, ‘pulse-read’ through that information. What do I mean by that? Pulse reading means going through any magazine, looking at each topic, and deciding whether it’s relevant to the topic you’re interested in. If not, read only the first paragraph and move on. If the next topic you pick is of deeper interest, you might read the first paragraph, then the second paragraph, and only the last paragraph before moving on. You’ll do this with any publication you subscribe to.

In the end, after months of months (or years and years) of doing this, you’ll have a repertoire of information you can draw on that will allow you to make decisions in an expert manner because you’ll have a wealth of subject matter relevant to those decisions.

The most successful people I’ve known over the years—over a wide range of industries—have always been avid readers. If you have any questions about this topic, please feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to speak with you!