Einstein Look Away. Look Away.
It is physically impossible to give more than 100%. It's bad math.
"People, we have a vision! An incredible new world is what we are building. I need all of you to give 110%! I predict bonuses for everyone!"—Leo the CEO
So what does "giving 110%" actually mean?
Working unpaid overtime?
Doing more with fewer resources?
Absorbing your middle manager's incompetence?
Will it negatively affect quality management?
None of the above.
The phrase started out by coaches then motivational speakers added to corporate speak. It basically is saying - "I'm going to do a great job." Wouldn't be more effective to say - "Give a 100%." That is a realistic and practical goal.
The Overfitting Problem: When More ≠ Better
Overfitting happens when a model tries too hard to fit past data—adding extra factors, complexities, and rules to make predictions look "better." But when new data comes in? It completely fails. According to Algorithms to Live By: "Every prediction requires two things: what you know and what you do not know."
Think about when decisions become "committee" decisions. A committee decision is where great ideas go to die—or worse, get watered down by all those decision-makers.
That’s corporate America’s version of 110%—and employees do it too. Both demand more, more, more—until the whole system collapses.
And when it does? The blame game begins.
❌ CEOs say employees aren’t “engaged.”
❌ Employees say they’re overworked and underpaid
❌ Middle management is stuck micromanaging the ruins.
❌ HR is left holding the bag.
HR Storytime: The $50K "Oops" Moment
Let’s talk Squid Game-level corporate absurdity. Years ago, I was handling benefits for 300+ employees. Healthcare costs were skyrocketing. The company’s goal? Keep Employee + Child plans as affordable as possible. No one wants a child without health insurance.
Enter: Debra With an H.
She was new to HR, childless, married, and not thrilled that her Employee + Spouse rate was higher. Fair. No one likes paying more. I handed Debra all my calculations; perhaps I was missing something, and she could find a better solution. I told her:
👉 Review and present how this can be improved. She returned with a brilliant new plan.
🔥 Lower rates for everyone!
🔥 Great benefits!
🔥 Everything looked amazing… except for one little thing. She added $50K to the budget.
"Where did you find that extra 50K?" I asked.
"The owners can cover it," she shrugged.
"No. They can not. That was not our business directive." She ignored me and threw her PowerPoint on my desk. Candidly, Debra, with an H, wanted the single parents to pay more. She had no empathy for single parents. I was happy she was not the CEO.
The Business Reality: Why 110% Thinking Fails
Debra wasn’t trying to scam the company—she was just thinking like an employee.
But businesses aren’t bottomless piggy banks. That’s the flip side of 110% culture.
Yes, employers overwork people. But employees also overestimate what’s financially possible. In addition, employees usually over-value their performance.
The best companies don’t demand 110%. They streamline. They focus. They eliminate inefficiencies instead of exploiting employees. A competent CEO doesn’t say, “Give me more.” They say, “Let’s do this smarter.”
An intelligent employee doesn’t say, “The company should pay for this.” They say, “Where can we allocate resources better?”
110% is Dumb—Stop Saying It.
📢 “Give 110%!”No.
❌ You can’t mathematically.
❌ It’s annoying.
❌It stresses everyone to cardiac arrest levels.
Say Yes to 100%
Give 100% all the time.
Give 80% when you need to. (We all have bad days.)
And Never give more than you’re paid for.
And never feel guilted by an employee for benefits the company can’t afford. You're trying to keep a company running.
It would be a beautiful Corporate Love Story if there was an endless supply of resources. There is not. Let's work together to think smarter.
Here's a prediction: No one will ever give 110%. It's bad math. The next time someone says 'Give 110%!'—correct them. Or better yet, ask if they’ll be paying you 110% more.
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