The Path to Excellence

 By Roberto Colón, MD, system chief medical officer, Premier Health

Have you ever wondered how real, lasting change begins?

How do individuals or entire organizations tackle big, ambitious goals that feel far beyond reach?

Sometimes the journey begins with something that seems completely unrelated to our daily work in health care. It could be the decision to train for a marathon, even though you’ve never set foot on a jogging path. Or maybe it's the bold move to take a quality metric from average to top decile performance. No matter the starting point, the challenge can feel overwhelming at first.

Even the greatest athletes didn’t begin their careers ready for greatness. Michael Jordan wasn’t born an MVP. Jack Nicklaus didn’t win his first tournament the moment he picked up a golf club. So, how did they get there? The answer is simple: gradual, consistent improvement over time.

At our recent Executive Forum Retreat, I had the opportunity to attend a powerful session on innovation at Premier Health. It opened with a short video that really stuck with me because of how simple and profound it was. It introduced a concept around the 1% rule. Even if the name doesn’t sound familiar, the idea probably does.

What if you could get just 1% better every day? One percent sounds small. Barely noticeable. But if you do that every single day for a year, compounding those small gains, you wouldn’t just be better, you’d be 37 times better than when you started.

Think about that, a tiny daily improvement, so small it’s almost invisible, leads to transformational results over time. This is how elite performers rise to the top. This same principle applies not only to sports, but also to the way we deliver care, lead teams, and improve patient outcomes.

So here’s the real question:

Where in your work or your life could you aim for just 1% better each day?

A year from now, what might you have accomplished?

Improving 37x might sound like a fantasy, but the path to it is entirely real. When facing a daunting goal or a challenge that feels immovable, break it into small, daily steps. Chip away at it—just a little at a time. And before long, you may look up and realize the obstacle is gone.

Back to the July 2025 issue of Premier Pulse