The 80–20 Rule for Leaders Who Want to Build Culture, Not Just Stay Busy

I first wrote a version of this post in 2019. Since then, my leadership roles have shifted, seasons have changed, and life has stretched me in new ways. But the heart of this message - the need to focus on what truly matters - has remained constant. I’m revisiting it now because the lesson still feels just as relevant.

Over the years, one theme has shown up again and again in conversations with readers, school leaders, and the educators and leaders I mentor through my work and partnerships:

I want to be more effective without being exhausted.

That desire has only intensified in the last few years.

The past four years of my own leadership journey - retiring and coaching schools through the Hope Institute, to serving as a principal, walking through seasons of transition, caring for family, and now coaching leaders and teams again through the Hope Institute - have refined how I think about productivity. I’m far less interested in doing more and far more focused on doing what actually moves the work forward.

That’s where the Pareto Principle comes back into the conversation.

A Rule Worth Revisiting

You may have heard of it as the 80-20 Rule.

Simply stated:

80% of results come from 20% of actions.

Economist Vilfredo Pareto noticed this pattern in Italy more than a century ago. Eighty percent (80%) of the land was owned by 20% of the people, and 80% of peas were produced by 20% of the plants.

Over time, the principle has shown up everywhere.

In education, I first heard it framed this way in graduate school:

Twenty percent of teachers account for eighty percent of discipline referrals.

In leadership conversations, it often sounds like this:

Eighty percent of the work is carried by twenty percent of the team.

And if we’re honest, we see it personally, too.

We wear the same few outfits. 

We read the same few emails. 

We return to the same few habits - good or bad.

The rule itself isn’t judgmental. It’s revealing.

Productivity Isn’t Neutral; It Shapes Culture

Here’s the shift I’ve made over the years: 

Productivity is not just about efficiency. It’s about values.

What we consistently give our time and attention to sends a message - especially in leadership. It shapes culture. It signals priorities. It models what matters.

When I was leading a school day in and day out, it became clear quickly: 

Not everything deserved the same level of urgency or energy.

And the same is true now as I coach leaders and teams.

So instead of asking, How do I get more done? 

I now ask, What deserves my best energy?

Applying the 80-20 Rule with Intention

Here are a few ways to use the Pareto Principle thoughtfully, without adding more to your plate.

1. Look at where your energy actually comes from. 

About 20% of your activities likely produce 80% of your sense of purpose and fulfillment. What drains you that could be reduced or released?

2. Reduce decision fatigue where you can. 

Whether it’s clothing, routines, or meetings... simplifying choices frees up mental energy for leadership decisions that matter.

3. Be ruthless with your inbox. 

You probably engage meaningfully with a small percentage of emails or newsletters. Unsubscribe from the rest. Curate what informs you.

4. Identify the work that truly moves the mission forward. 

Only a fraction of your daily tasks produce the results you actually want. Those are the ones tied to culture, people, and clarity - not just completion.

5. Stop confusing motion with progress. 

Busywork feels productive, but it rarely builds strong culture. Leaders don’t need to do everything; they need to do the right things.

A Simple Practice I’ve Kept

I once heard Lynn Perkins, CEO and co-founder of UrbanSitter, share a practice that has stuck with me.

Each morning, she writes down three things that, if completed, would make the day feel successful. Not ten. Not a full page. Three.

It’s a simple discipline, but it forces prioritization. I’ve seen leaders do this well, and I’ve tried to practice it myself: 

If everything feels important, nothing truly is.

Leadership, Character, and the Long View

One of the biggest lessons the past few years have taught me is this: 

Sustainable leadership requires boundaries, clarity, and alignment.

The 80-20 Rule isn’t about squeezing more out of yourself.

It’s about honoring what matters most: your values, your people, and your purpose.

As Tim Ferriss reminds us,

“If you want to have more, do more, and be more, it all begins with the voice that no one else hears.”

What that voice prioritizes will eventually shape your leadership and your culture.

If you’ve applied the 80-20 Rule in your life or leadership, I’d love to hear what you’ve learned. Sometimes the most powerful shifts start with one honest question: 

What’s the small percentage of work that makes the biggest difference?

ICYMI: Previous Posts on Productivity & Leadership

• Increase your Productivity by Using Pockets of Time
• One Simple Habit to Improve Mood and Productivity
• What Successful People Do Daily to Increase Efficiency & Productivity

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What It Looks Like When Your Words Show Up in Real Life (A Reflection on Being Rooted)

There’s something quietly affirming when life starts echoing back what you’ve already named as true.

Since choosing my three words for 2026 - steady, rooted, and legacy - I’ve noticed how often they’ve surfaced. They've shown up gently, not loudly or dramatically, but almost insistently, as if they are tapping me on the shoulder to get my full attention. They've shown up in conversations. In reading. In moments of stillness I didn’t plan for. Each time, they’ve felt less like coincidences and more like gentle reminders that clarity often comes after we name what we need most.

I’ve learned over the years through my leadership journey that this is often how clarity shows up. Not all at once, and not with fireworks, but through repetition, alignment, and a growing sense of peace.

Most recently, I came across a post on Instagram by illustrator Bee Davies (@beedaviesillustration). It stopped me, not because it was flashy, but because it named something I’ve been feeling but hadn’t fully articulated yet. I found myself nodding along as I read her words. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bee Davies Illustration (@beedaviesillustration)

In her caption, Bee so eloquently wrote:

“But in nature, January is quiet on purpose. Life slows down. What we don’t see is the strength building underground - roots settling, foundations forming, preparing for spring. Without roots, there is no growth.”

That line, quiet on purpose, stayed with me.

So often, we treat January as a launching pad. A month meant for acceleration, urgency, and visible progress. We feel pressure to declare goals, prove momentum, and show evidence that we are moving forward. But nature tells a different story. One that values preparation over performance and depth over speed.

This is where rooted keeps showing up for me.

After a year marked by significant transition and loss, I’m learning that not every season is meant for outward growth. Some seasons are meant for anchoring. For settling into what remains true when roles change and circumstances shift. For allowing foundations to strengthen quietly, without an audience.

Being rooted doesn’t mean standing still. It means knowing what holds you steady when everything else feels uncertain.

That grounding makes steady possible.

Steady has become a reminder that meaningful progress doesn’t require urgency. It requires faithfulness. Showing up again today. Making small, consistent choices. Trusting that the work happening beneath the surface matters, even when there’s nothing visible to point to yet.

And when I hold steady and stay rooted, I’m reminded of the third word that continues to surface: legacy.

Legacy has reframed how I think about growth. It’s helped me zoom out and see that what I’m building now isn’t always meant to be immediately seen or measured. Some of the most important work we do shapes people, perspectives, and futures we may never fully witness.

Roots don’t announce themselves. But they determine everything that grows.

As I move into 2026, I’m less interested in rushing toward what’s next and more committed to honoring what’s forming. To trusting the quiet work. To believing that alignment doesn’t always feel exciting, but it does feel right.

And maybe that’s the invitation for all of us this January... to slow down on purpose, to let our roots settle, and to trust that growth will come... in time.

My Three Words for 2026: A New Season, a Clear Compass

For more than a decade now, choosing three words (or one word) for the year has been one of the most grounding practices in my life.

I don’t choose my words quickly. I don’t choose them because they sound good or because they feel aspirational in a surface-level way. I choose them through a process of reflection, prayer, listening, and honesty about what the past year revealed and what the next season is asking of me.

In the past, I thought my words needed to hype me up for the new year. What I’ve learned over time is that the right words don’t energize me as much as they center me. They bring clarity instead of urgency and direction instead of pressure.

The Process I Use

Before I ever write a word down, I ask myself a few quiet questions:

• What did this past year teach me about myself, my limits, and my values?
• Where did I feel stretched, and where did I feel most like myself?
• What do I need more of - not to achieve more, but to live well?
• What kind of person do I want to be this time next year?

I sit with those questions for days... sometimes weeks. I pay attention to patterns. I notice what keeps resurfacing in conversations and in prayer. Eventually, certain words don’t just appear; they stay.

As I looked ahead to 2026, three words remained long after the others faded:

Steady. Rooted. Legacy.

Each one carries a particular invitation. Today, I want to share what they mean to me and how they might serve as guiding words for you too.

STEADY: Peace in Motion

“Steady” has a calm strength to it, like a deep breath before a big moment. I think about this word in terms of consistency over intensity.

“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.”

- Colin Powell

This year has reminded me that healing (heart, body, spirit) doesn’t happen in bursts. Steady reminds me to show up - day in and day out - for the things that matter: my family, my health, my work, and my faith. It whispers, keep going, one step at a time. It’s a gentle but firm guide that says consistency wins the long game.

When I think about the work I care about - the people I get to serve through The Compelled Educator, the Communities of Character podcast, the Hope Institute, and the connections we share - being steady feels like a gift I can give others as well as myself.

ROOTED: Deep in What Matters Most

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”

- Dolly Parton

There is a kind of grief we don’t always name - the grief that comes with leaving something you loved deeply, even when the decision was right.

In 2025, I experienced two significant losses. One was deeply personal. The other was professional, but no less meaningful. Stepping away from my role as principal was not just a career change; it was the surrender of a calling that had shaped me, stretched me, and allowed me to serve in ways that mattered deeply to me. It was a place where I felt useful, connected, and fully alive.

What made that loss complicated was this: I didn’t leave because I stopped loving the work. I left because love required something else of me.

Grief has a way of unsettling our sense of identity. When titles fall away and routines disappear, we’re forced to ask harder questions: Who am I without this role? Where do I belong now? What remains when what I loved is gone?

That’s where rooted began to matter more than ever.

Rooted reminds me that while roles can change, identity does not. That purpose is not limited to a position, and calling is not confined to a title. Being rooted means anchoring myself in values, faith, and relationships that remain steady even when circumstances shift. 

Rooted doesn’t promise comfort, but it offers stability. And in a season marked by loss, stability is a gift.

This word reminds me to draw strength from my foundations - family, friends, faith, curiosity, and purpose. It’s a reminder that when storms come (and they always do!), roots help us bend without breaking.

LEGACY: What Lasts Longer Than Me

Legacy isn’t just for big achievements or titles. It’s about the footprints we leave on our journey. From the way we influence a child, to how we show up for a friend, build something meaningful, or how we care for the people we love.

This word keeps me focused on what lasts longer than a single year or season. It strengthens me as I walk through the current season filled with doubt and grief, yet also hope. It shapes how I think about family, relationships, health, work, and character. I think about how the character we model today becomes the foundation for tomorrow. And I especially think about my daughters, my grandson, and the grandson that will be born in 2026. 

To me, legacy isn’t pressure, it’s perspective. It’s choosing what matters long after the day is done.

Legacy asks:

• What am I modeling for the people I love?
• What habits am I forming today that shape tomorrow?
• What will remain because I was here?

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”

- Shannon L. Alder

So… If I had to choose one word, which one would it be? 

In years past I’ve used three words, and sometimes just one feels right, too. This year, these three words represent different aspects of the journey I’m on. Steady for consistency and resilience, Rooted for depth and alignment, and Legacy for meaning and long-term impact.

If I had to choose just one, it might be the one that brings them together in a single heartbeat: Rooted. Because when we’re rooted, we tend to stay steady and build legacy without losing ourselves in the noise.

As always, I’d love to hear your word for the year. What’s drawing you? What feels like a compass in the next season of your story?

Here’s to a year defined not just by what we do, but who we become.

Past #My3Words Choices

2014 - Discipline. Intentional. Balance.
2015 - Rhythm. Bravery. Fitness.
2016 - Focus. Purpose. Do.
2017 - Pivot. Go. Grow.
2018 - Lift. Create. Relentless. 
2019 - Practice. Execute. Be.

2020 - Consistent. Empower. Budget.

2021 - Invest. Stretch. Discipline.

2022 - Conquer. (Click to read why I chose only 1 word)

2023 - Heal. Leap. Sow.

2024 - Ignite. Impact. Instigate.

2025 - Elevate. Thrive. Nurture.

Ten Practical Ways to Build Character this Week at School

Simple, meaningful ideas to carry you into the holidays - or to kick off strong in January.

As we approach the last stretch before the holiday break, the energy in schools starts to shift. Students feel it. Teachers feel it. The hallways buzz a little louder, the days feel a little fuller, and routines (and patience!) sometimes stretch thin.

It’s a unique window of time that can feel both challenging and full of opportunity.

This time of year is actually perfect for weaving in small, meaningful practices that strengthen character in your classroom or school community. And if December feels too packed or too fast? January offers a fresh, natural reset.

Either way, character isn’t built in grand gestures. It grows in consistent, intentional, and simple moments, which are the the kinds of moments that students remember long after the semester ends.

Here are 10 practical ways to build character at school, each one quick to implement and impactful over time.

1. Greet every student by name each morning.

Hearing their name - spoken kindly and intentionally - grounds students in belonging. Whether it’s at the door, in the hallway, or before the bell rings, it sets the tone: You matter here.

2. Highlight a “Character Trait of the Week” in announcements.

A short spotlight on traits like empathy, perseverance, or respect can spark conversations schoolwide. Keep it simple, keep it consistent, and invite students to notice the trait in action each day.

3. Incorporate a short reflection question into class openers.

A one-minute prompt of “What’s one thing you can do today to be a good teammate?” helps students build self-awareness and intention. Reflection is one of the most powerful tools in character education.

4. Model respectful language during challenging conversations.

Students learn the most from what they see. Using calm, respectful language, especially in tough moments, teaches emotional regulation and dignity far better than any worksheet ever could.

5. Recognize students showing positive character with quick notes or shout-outs.

Character grows when it’s seen and named. A sticky note, a brief comment, or a quick announcement... it doesn’t have to be fancy to be meaningful.

6. Start each class with a 60-second gratitude or kindness prompt.

A simple, guided moment such as, “Think of one person you’re grateful for today,” helps students build empathy and emotional awareness. It also centers everyone for learning.

7. Create opportunities for students to lead small tasks or routines.

Student leadership doesn’t have to be formal. Handing out materials, leading warm-ups, taking care of the board... these small responsibilities build confidence and agency.

8. Use a rotating classroom responsibility chart to build ownership.

Ownership fosters character. A rotating chart spreads opportunities for responsibility and gives every student a chance to contribute to the classroom community.

9. Incorporate a daily kindness challenge students can complete in under 2 minutes.

Tiny acts create big shifts. Examples:

“Hold the door for someone.”

“Invite someone new to join your group.”

“Say thank you more times than you think you need to.”

Two minutes. Big impact.

10. End the week with a ‘Character Win’ share-out in each class.

Give students a chance to celebrate moments of integrity, kindness, or perseverance, by either something they did or something they saw. These reflections become a powerful culture-builder over time.

A Small Start Can Last All Year
Whether you try one idea before the holiday break or save a few for January’s restart, remember this:

Building character doesn’t require perfection; it requires consistency.  Small practices, repeated over time, shape the culture of a classroom and the heart of a school.

 If you try any of these, I’d love to hear how they go.

And if you have ideas to add, share them! Our strength as educators grows when we learn from each other.

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