How to ask for 85% effort instead of 100%

1. Make sure each workday has an end time

Whenever possible, managers should establish a time of the day when employees are finished working, McKeown writes.

"When managers are ambiguous about the length of workdays, they risk introducing decision fatigue, diminishing returns, or even getting negative returns from their employees," McKeown writes.

2. Ask for 85% capacity, not 100%

People often make the mistake that maximum effort is what produces maximum results, but that isn't always the case, McKeown writes. Managers can take advantage of this by asking for a little less than 100% from their employees.

McKeown recommends managers ask, "What does it feel like to be at 100% intensity?" and follow that up with "How can you keep this closer to the 85% level?" This can help prevent hidden fatigue and also can be used by managers to help their employees stay in the sweet spot between exertion and overexertion.

3. Empower staff to share feedback on your role in stress creation

Typically, top performers are self-motivated, so managing them like other employees can lead to exhaustion, McKeown writes.

One study from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Faas Foundation over more than 1,000 U.S. employees found 20% of employees reported being both highly engaged and having high burnout. These employees are passionate about their work but had high levels of stress and frustration and, as a result, were the employees at highest risk of quitting their jobs.

To avoid this, McKeown recommends managers ask their top performers, "How am I making your work more stressful than it needs to be?" and then take the necessary steps to improve the situation.

4. Encourage 85%-correct decisions

When making team decisions, don't emphasize the need for a "100% perfect" decision, McKeown writes. Instead, let employees know an 85%-right decision is okay.

Asking for a decision that's 85% right takes pressure of your highest-performing employees and keeps your team focused on moving forward rather than waiting for the 100%-right decision.

5. Avoid urgent, pressure-fueled language

As a manager, it's important to avoid using high-pressure terms like "ASAP," "NEED," or "URGENT" in meetings and emails, as it can create excessive stress and pressure, McKeown writes.

Instead, foster open communication about deadlines, why those deadlines exist, and the potential trade-offs, McKeown recommends. Instead of expecting employees to say yes to every request, perhaps ask them "What do you need to say no to in order to say yes to this?" This can help ensure your top employees maintain high performance levels while avoiding burnout.

6. Wrap meetings early

Many employees feel they live a "Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat" cycle that was common during the COVID-19 pandemic, McKeown writes.

Research from the Human Factors Lab at Microsoft has found that people's brains work differently when we take a 10-minute break between meetings. These breaks help prevent stress from building up, while back-to-back meetings decrease a person's ability to focus and engage, McKeown writes.

7. Operate at 85% intensity yourself

It's important for managers to maintain their intensity levels at 85% as well, not just their employees, McKeown writes. If a manager tells employees they shouldn't work late nights or on weekends and sends out emails at 2 a.m. on a Sunday, "their actions speak louder than their words," McKeown writes.

Research has found that employees look to their bosses for cues more than managers may realize, so if you're writing emails late at night or on weekends, make sure to schedule them to be sent at appropriate times.

While the 85% rule "may seem counterintuitive," McKeown writes, "in this time of ongoing persistent burnout, it has the power of relevancy." Stephen Ilardi, a psychologist at the University of Kansas, once wrote that human beings "were never designed for the poorly nourished, sedentary, indoor, sleep-deprived, socially-isolated, frenzied pace of 21st century life."

"Certainly we can do better," McKeown writes. "Managers who adopt the 85% rule as their new mindset can help to reduce this frenzy while actually improving their team’s performance." (McKeown, Harvard Business Review, 6/8)

Learn how to proactively manage stress and model healthy habits for your team with this infographic on effective stress management strategies for leaders.