The 1% Advantage: What British Cycling Can Teach Us About Lean, Life, and Leadership
- Sol and Rod Morgan
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
“Success doesn’t come from one massive effort. It’s the small things, consistently done well.” —Sir Dave Brailsford (probably… or should have)
Act I: 🚴 From Mediocre to Medal-Worthy
Once upon a time, the British Cycling Team was the laughingstock of the competitive cycling world. One Olympic gold medal in nearly a century. Zero Tour de France wins. So unimpressive, in fact, that bike manufacturers refused to sell them gear for fear it would hurt their brand. Enter Sir Dave Brailsford...
Armed with a philosophy called the aggregation of marginal gains, he believed that if you improved everything the team did by just 1% every day, those tiny changes would add up to something extraordinary.
The team dissected every aspect of cycling performance—equipment, training, health, sleep, travel, and recovery. They made hundreds of micro-adjustments, including:
Having cyclists bring their own pillows and mattresses on the road to improve sleep quality.
Teaching proper hand-washing techniques to reduce illness.
Giving each rider their own toothbrush to avoid cross-contamination.
Redesigning bike seats for more comfort and endurance.
Painting the inside of the team truck white to detect dust and maintain a clean environment.
No silver bullets. Just a hundred lead ones, polished daily.
The results? Between 2007 and 2017, British cyclists won:
🏆 66 Olympic and Paralympic gold medals
🌍 178 world championships
🚴 5 Tour de France titles
And that... is the power of compounding excellence.
Act II: 🧠 Lean Thinking and the Power of the Everyday
This isn't just a cycling story. It’s a Lean story. A human story.
In the world of Lean, we call this mindset Kaizen—continuous, incremental improvement. Whether you're streamlining a production line, improving customer service, or just trying to get healthier, it’s the same principle... a philosophy for business as well as life in general:
Small steps.
Done daily.
Measured over time.
At RPM-Academy, we see it constantly. A learner who completes their first certificate. A team leader who transforms their workflow with process mapping. A business that rethinks how it listens to customers.
No dramatic overhauls. Just progress, powered by process.
“If you get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done” —James Clear, Atomic Habits
Act III: 🧢 Making America Great… Again?
Let’s pivot for a second as I couldn't help but think about the massive changes and disruptions taking place in the United States over the last few recent months.
In politics as in business, we’re often sold transformation in the form of slogans—Make America Great Again, for example. But underneath this particular chant lies a troubling assumption: that greatness can be reclaimed by decree, by force, or by slashing regulations and lobbing tariffs.
But real greatness—the sustainable kind—isn’t built in rallies. It’s built in rituals. Habits. Investments. Education. Infrastructure. Innovation.
You can’t bully a nation into greatness but... You can build it, 1% at a time.
Final Lap: 🏁 What This Means for You
So, what does this mean for your team, your community, or your life?
It means you don’t need a revolution. You need a rhythm.
You don’t need perfection. You need progress.
You don’t need slogans. You need systems.
Whether you're managing a city department, running a business, or trying to become a better version of yourself—take a lesson from British Cycling... Small steps. Big change. Repeat.
✨ Want to Make Your Team 1% Better Today?
Join us at RPM-Academy and start your journey of continuous improvement. From Lean to Leadership, we’ll help you build momentum—one learning byte at a time. 👉 Start your 1% journey with a FREE account!
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