How to Invest in Your Top 1%
In the article from last week, I broke down Isenberg’s 90-9-1 rule. In it, I suggested that as community builders we are responsible to do three things:
Show the 90% what they can do in the community. Make it clear. Make it tangible.
Show the 9% what you can offer them. Everyone deserves value but only a few qualify for your personal 1:1 investment.
Show the 1% how they can begin leading others.
Earlier on in my career I had this nagging sense that I needed a mentor. The problem (for me and many others in this scenario) was that I couldn't figure out why I needed a mentor. I just knew I did.
I worked up the courage and began asking potential mentor figures for their guidance. Overtime, I asked them to sit with me once a month and discuss what I'm processing in my work and personal life. Some were delighted, others were open to the idea, and some rejected the offer altogether because they were unable to commit to it.
Despite my pursuit for mentorship, none of these mentors ever had the effect I was hoping for. I was looking for an older friend who would attempt to right the wrongs of their own past by mentoring me. I was hoping for someone who cared enough to fix the flaws in me so that I could have impact and significance.
I came to learn that this was too much of an existential and ill-defined ask. I wanted a professional guide–and very few have this figure in their life. I realized I didn't need this type of mentor, because I already had another kind of mentor.
I had those in my life who were committed to my growth–not those committed to the idea of my growth. Bosses and older colleagues asked me poignant, thoughtful questions and I became a better version of myself over time. They were invested in my growth and they didn't view me as their personal "project."
The good news: You can be this kind of mentor too. Not for everyone, just for your top 1%.
Remember the 90-9-1 rule. You ought to give abundant value to the 90%. With the 9% – you invest in them because they're a part of the community you're leading. All of these relationships will likely fade over time. But with the 1% – these are folks you will stay in touch with for decades to come, long after your community is no more.
So how should you engage with the 1%?
Go all-in. The reason they are the “1%” is because they are the top contributor in your community. This is the rarified person you meet and know is a believer in your cause right away.
This is your natural leader. They're already contributing all the time. You already know them well because you've been investing in them (while they were in the 9%). But now you're realizing they have potential for more.
These are the people you want to empower.
Here's how I suggest doing so in the context of community:
Show them your playbook.
You need to show these people how the sausage is made. Reveal to them your secret tricks for boosting engagement and acquiring new members. Take the time to invest in their growth and it should pay dividends for you too.
Start bringing them into the occasional strategy meeting with your team.
Ask them for their feedback on your new events, product launches, and things your team is prototyping.
See if they have new ideas for the community you haven't previously considered. Refine their ideas and express your gratitude for their time.
Show them where your gaps are.
This is the fun part - and it will give you an idea about what kind of person they actually are. Here you begin to let them into your vulnerabilities as a community - the areas you know demand more attention. Here's where they self-select. Some will rise up to the challenge you give them and some will resign to it. Invest further in those who step up to the plate. Send those who resign to the difficulty back into the 9%.
Be transparent with them and show them the real problem you're facing in the community.
See how well they're ideas perform and prototype their best ideas in the community. Maybe they're seeing something you're not seeing.
If it works well, give them more problems and more responsibility.
Show them where they can lead beyond your community.
Here's where it gets a bit counterintuitive. You know they care about your niche (otherwise they wouldn't be the top contributor that they are). But see if you can start to discern what distinct niche they want to start building themselves. And help them do it.
Consider giving them a monthly coaching call that is not about your community at all. Only focus on the value you can add to their project.
Invite them into your network (if you haven't already) and offer to give them more value than they would expect.
Prototype their ideas with and alongside them. This matters and it's how they know you really are invested in them.
This leadership style is built upon one thing more than anything else: generosity. This is the kind of entrepreneurship that makes the difference too.
As you invest in the top 1% you'll earn lifelong followers that you can champion in your own community. These are the folks that should inspire the other 99% to invest more and see what happens when they do.
