Reflection Saturday: Are You Operating in Your 70?

There’s a simple leadership principle I come back to often: The 70/30 Principle. It helps leaders find their leadership sweet spot for maximum effectiveness. Around GiANT, it’s sometimes called Cochram’s Law, named after Steve Cochram, who developed the framework and encourages leaders to operate in their leadership sweet spot.

It’s not complicated. But it is confronting.

The idea is this: ideally, 70% of your time is spent in your sweet spot, specifically the leadership sweet spot where you excel.

Your sweet spot isn’t just what you enjoy. It’s where your natural strengths, unconscious competencies, and energy intersect. It’s the work that makes you feel fully engaged. The tasks that come naturally. The conversations that light you up. When you’re operating there, you’re not just productive, you’re alive.

And when you’re more alive, the people around you benefit. Your leadership has clarity, decisions have confidence, and your presence has energy. Thus, finding and maintaining your leadership sweet spot positively impacts your team.

The remaining 30%? That’s the learned behavior. The responsibilities you can handle, but they drain you. Administrative details. Difficult compliance work. The necessary, but not energizing, parts of your role.

When that balance flips – when you’re spending more time drained than energized – you don’t just feel tired. You feel misaligned. Creativity drops. Patience thins. Vision narrows.

Now, 70/30 is a target, not a rigid rule. Some weeks you’ll be at 60/40. Other seasons might demand 50/50. The point isn’t perfection: it’s awareness.

So here’s your reflection:

What percentage are you operating at right now?
Are you trending toward alignment or away from it?
What one adjustment could move you 5% closer to your sweet spot next week?

Self-leadership begins with honest inventory. And small course corrections today prevent burnout tomorrow.

Take a breath. Do the math. Then lead yourself well.

PS: If you’re ready to start leading to your full potential and empower others to do the same, I’m offering a free 30-minute coaching session . No pitches. No hype. Just real conversation and practical next steps to help you grow this year. 👉 Grab your spot here and let’s talk.