When Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour mark for running the marathon distance in 2019, it was a triumph for the aggregation of marginal gains.

You can turbocharge your business using the same strategy. Turbocharge transformational change by aggregating 1% improvements everywhere

Sports coaching guru Sir David Brailsford turned the term “aggregation of marginal gains” into one of the hottest topics in sport when he led British Cycling and Team Sky to win the Tour de France multiple times. He did it again with the “1:59 Challenge” that created Kipchoge’s performance.

Brailsford’s approach is to find and improve every element that impacts on performance.,

Brailsford’s genius is to be relentless, leaving no stone unturned in finding gains that get ointo winning. He goes beyond the immediate factors, like fitness and nutrition, and considers others like biomechanics, aerodynamics, personal hygiene, sleep and sleep posture, air conditioning in hotel rooms. He focuses not just on the athletes. He looks to everyone — support teams, equipment maintainers, drivers — all are expected to make marginal gains. Everyone can and do, make a difference.

The key to success is relentless attention to seemingly unimportant detail.

What can we learn from this?

• Adopt the attitude that there is always room for improvement — leave no stone un-turned.

• Instill a culture where everybody seeks feedback — they are not just open to feedback but actively seek it — and give it generously — and celebrate it.

• Develop a clear expectation that success requires everyone be committed to the goal. They must know their marginal gain adds to overall success.

• Celebrate the “marginal gains”…they aggregate to a winning strategy.

If you pay attention to every element that impacts on performance, and you make just a 1% improvement on each, then it adds up to a significant improvement.