The president of our company and I were recently invited to attend a keynote given by one the 50 most influential people in business internationally and I could go on and on with all their credits  but will reframe. She was asked what bit of information she would pass on to someone just getting started. I could give you her answer but that was not the point of this post.

The more I thought about her speech the more I thought how there is really little difference in those at the top and those who are not. I have always heard that 99% of the wins go to those who put 1% more effort into what they do.

When Tiger Woods was being interviewed he was asked how he got to be where he was. His answer confirms the 99 to 1 rule as being accurate. He said, "anyone can do what I do if they are willing to hit a thousand balls every day." I thought to myself, is that all there really is to it? Then it hit me as I started doing the math in my head. Then my thought turned into "WOW!" It dawned on me how much work and dedication he had put into his career. Then after hearing the 99 to 1 rule I realized that was only 10 more balls a day than other pro golfers, or 70 more a week or 3,640 or 54,600 more from the time he started at five to the time he turned twenty years old.

When I was in my early teens we went to football camp where we were taught by some of the then Super bowl champion Pittsburg Steelers and many others who were or would go on to become legends of the game.  I can remember thinking to myself they must be really board going over the basics with us day in and day out. I will never forget one of the quarterbacks telling our small group if your weren't willing to practice the basics over and over you shouldn't expect to preform at a professional level. Long before I had ever hear of the 99 to 1 rule it was already being taught to me without me knowing. I guess one of us caught on as he went on to play quarterback in two super bowls himself and is still the only quarterback to take one of those two teams to the super bowl.

I thought of how I was so fortunate to have met so may top executives, professionals in their field and celebrities. I also thought to myself what advice would I give to someone  else should I ever meet the qualifications of a superstar. At my age it might ought to be don't ever quite and of course the 99 to 1 rule still applies.

I think if I were to give advice from m own actual experiences I might suggest to focus on what you can do and not  on what you can't. We have all heard the prayer that goes something like this: "God help me to do the things I can and to accept the things I can't." This should be the goal of everyone. When you are asked to doing something you can't preform for whatever reason, ignore what you can't do and focus on the solutions you can provide. 

What made Microsoft, Apple, or any other company great wasn't the bottom line. No, what made them great was their ability to provide solutions to the world. The second they stop doing that is the same instant they will stat becoming irrelevant.  

Bill Gates didn't even have the components when he pitched his fist product. Henry Ford didn't have a V-8 engine when he announced to the world he had it. He  was told by his engineers it was an impossibility. He put them all on the V-8 project and told them if it was impossible then their services were no longer needed. They created the fist V-8 motor a head of his projections. Henry Ford knew the value of not telling people what he couldn't do and refused to surround himself by anyone who did not share this philosophy. I believe Estienne and Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci like other great inventors shared similar views. In spite of what the world thought couldn't be done the stayed focused on what they could do.

I think out of all the advice I have been given this last one would have to be toward the top of the list behind those which deal with ethics. Never let an opportunity pass where you have an opportunity to let someone know what solutions you can solve and avoid the ones you can't.

If you are a corporate recruiter or human resource generalist let your employer know what you have to offer and the solutions  you are able to provide the company. Who knows you may have a an idea that saves the company a million dollars, improves efficiencies, reduces liability, improves employee retention or who knows what else.

Before you can expect to sit among the superstars you must first be willing to hit those extra ten balls a day (translation; pick up the phone, enter one more piece of data or make one more meeting). Above all you will need to continue learning as you go. Sure an extra degree is nice but it will not replace to the day to day hands on experiences. This is where you workout and fine tune your abilities which allow you to create solutions which will take you from the 99% to the 1%

I would love to hear the advice you would proved others in the various human resource verticals.

Jeff Dahlberg is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for LeveragePlus Organization which provides various business solutions such as: payroll,  professional employer organization (PEO) Administrative Services Organization (ASO), workers' compensation, group health insurance, unemployment administration, litigation avoidance, legal compliance, employment law, EPLI insurance, labor law, state unemployment, federal unemployment, ACA