Yesterday I posted about anchors and propellers. The question of who in your business is driving you forward and who is quietly holding you back. Today I want to go one level deeper. Because identifying the anchors is only half the job. The other half is the question almost no founder asks out loud. WOULD YOU FIGHT TO KEEP THIS PERSON? Walk through your team one name at a time. For each person, ask yourself this. If they resigned tomorrow, would I fight to keep them? If the honest answer is no, or even not sure, that is your answer. Stop carrying people your gut already knows are wrong for the next stage of the journey. THE 20-70-10 REALITY In any honest team, the distribution looks roughly like this. 🟢 20 percent are high performers 🟡 70 percent are solid performers 🔴 10 percent need attention If almost everyone in your business scores highly, the team has not been assessed honestly. And here is what it costs you. When your top performers see mediocre colleagues treated the same way they are, they do one of two things. They match down. Or they leave. Both outcomes are expensive. Both are avoidable. THE HARDER TRUTH Some of the people who got you here were never meant to go the whole journey. Think of a rocket. Each booster stage gets it to a certain altitude and then drops away. If it does not drop away, the next stage cannot fire. That is not failure. That is growth. The kindest thing you can do for someone who is not right for the next stage is to be honest with them. Not next quarter. Now. Tough conversations are an act of respect, not aggression. If someone is performing below standard and nobody tells them, they carry on believing they are doing fine. They miss the chance to improve. And they may eventually be let go without ever understanding why. Avoiding the conversation is not kindness. It is avoidance dressed up as kindness. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK 1️⃣ Take yesterday's anchor and propeller list 2️⃣ For every name, ask the resignation question 3️⃣ Be honest about where they sit on the 20-70-10

People tell their kids: • don’t smoke • don’t drink too much • be disciplined • be organised • be respectful • be on time • keep your promises Then the same adults: • smoke in front of them • drink every weekend • Spend all evening and weekends as a lazy couch potato • run late constantly • break promises • avoid responsibility • live in chaos • blame everybody else They complain about: • the government lying • customers paying late • staff not caring • partners not listening • society losing values But when you look deeper into their own behaviours, businesses and lives… ...they are often doing the exact same things they criticise in others. Children do not become what you tell them: They become what they see. Teams do not follow your mission statement: They follow your standards. Clients do not trust your words: They trust your consistency. And life itself often becomes a mirror: You attract what you give out. The energy, standards, discipline, honesty and respect you carry into the world tends to come back in one form or another. That’s why one of the most powerful ideas ever shared was: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Not demand it. Not preach it. Not post about it. ....Be it. Because what you do speaks far louder than anything you say.

Procrastination and Prevarication are like cancer to success ...and while you are dithering others are refining and evolving You don’t win because you’re the best You win because you start earlier than most On this day in 1970 China launched its first satellite It wasn’t the best It wasn’t leading the world But it did one thing most people miss It started the clock Fast forward: → China now runs one of the most advanced space programmes in the world → Independent navigation system competing with GPS → Permanent space station → Moon and Mars missions → Massive satellite infrastructure They didn’t wait to be ready They got moving Most business owners do the opposite - They sit - They tweak - They “prepare” While someone else starts And keeps going And compounds Momentum isn’t just speed It’s time in the game Every day you delay Someone else is stacking experience Stacking data Stacking advantage So here’s the real question Are you trying to be right Or are you trying to win Because the people who win Started before they felt ready

A few photos popped up on my timeline today From my climb of Mount Kazbek on the Georgia/Russian border at the end of 2024 And it stopped me for a moment: - Not because of the achievement - But because of the reminder Just how incredible this planet is Just how incredible life is Every moment Every day Whether it’s a great day Or a tough one where you’re being stretched and forced to grow Every day above ground REALLY is a good day Most people are obsessed with adding years to their life Very few focus on adding life to their years But here’s the truth: The only time you are guaranteed Is this moment Not tomorrow Not next week Not “when things settle down” Now I’ve always said → 10% learn from the past → 10% plan for the future → 80% live today Because today is all you actually have So live it → Smile more → Laugh properly → Tell the people you love that you love them → Tell the people who are full of shit that they’re full of shit → Do something that actually matters Stop waiting Stop postponing Stop acting like life is a rehearsal It isn’t If you live fully today And then do the same tomorrow And the next day You don’t need a long life Because every single day becomes a lifetime in itself

Strange idea, isn’t it? A whole day… Where you deliberately do NOTHING. No emails. No “just one more task”. No catching up on the things you didn’t finish yesterday. Just… nothing. I’ll be honest. I’m as guilty as anyone. Like many entrepreneurs, I’ve been wired to believe that productivity equals progress. If you’re not moving, you must be falling behind. So we push: - Another email. - Another call. - Another “quick job”. Before long, even sitting still starts to feel uncomfortable. We’ve created a world where people actually feel guilty… For resting. But think about it for a moment: - Almost every culture. - Almost every religion. Has built in a day of rest. The Jewish Sabbath on Saturday. The Christian Sunday. The Muslim Friday prayers and gathering. The Hindu tradition of spiritual and family observance days. The Buddhist Uposatha days of reflection and stillness. Different faiths. Different traditions. But the same message: A PAUSE. Not to catch up on work. Not to do chores. But to reconnect: - With family. - With friends. - With community. - With yourself. And perhaps most importantly… To feel gratitude for what you already have, rather than constantly chasing what you don’t. The irony is this. When you stop pushing for a moment, your mind clears. Your thinking sharpens. Your creativity returns. Your energy resets. The best ideas rarely come when you’re grinding. They come when you step back. When you breathe. When you give yourself permission to simply be. So here’s a reminder. Plan a day each week to do nothing. Not “nothing because you’re exhausted”. Nothing because it matters. Spend time with your family. Take a walk. Read a book. Sit in silence. Reconnect with the things that actually make life worthwhile. Because success isn’t just about building a life. It’s about remembering to live it.