Key insights

• Fanatic discipline is the foundation of consistent success (p19 to p22) – 10X leaders maintain unwavering consistency in their actions, values, and long-term goals. They do not drift with circumstances, pressure, or mood. For school leaders, this highlights the power of predictable routines, clear standards, and a refusal to overreach during good times or slacken during difficult ones.
• Empirical creativity produces confident and low risk decisions (p26) – Rather than relying on instinct alone, 10X leaders test ideas with small, low risk experiments before committing fully. This supports better judgment under pressure. For schools, this mirrors piloting strategies, testing approaches in one year group or department, and scaling only when the evidence supports success.
• Productive paranoia keeps organisations ready for disruption (p29 to p33) – Great leaders remain vigilant, even in good times. They prepare for setbacks by building reserves, analysing potential threats, and slowing down when speed would increase risk. School leaders can interpret this as planning for staff absence, curriculum shocks, behaviour spikes, or sudden external changes.
• The 20 Mile March creates stability in unstable conditions (p48 to p55) – The concept describes clear, self-imposed performance markers that organisations commit to achieving every year. This disciplined consistency prevents overreaching and protects against complacency. In schools, this could be translated into a small number of non-negotiable priorities that guide behaviour every term.
• Bullets before cannonballs reduce risk and increase success (p78 to p82) – Bullets are small tests that are low cost, low risk, and low distraction. Cannonballs are big commitments. The authors show that disciplined innovators fire bullets first to see what works, then invest heavily. This is a powerful mindset for designing curriculum changes, behaviour programmes, or CPD strategies.
• Leading above the death line keeps the organisation safe (p102 to p113) – 10X leaders zoom out to assess long-term threats and opportunities, then zoom in to act with clarity. This dual perspective protects the school from avoidable crises and gives teams confidence that leadership remains in control.
• A SMaC recipe separates great organisations from inconsistent ones (p128 to p146) – Specific, methodical, and consistent guidelines make performance reliable over time. Adjustments are made sparingly and intentionally. For schools, this reflects the value of tight behaviour routines, stable curriculum plans, and consistent weekly rhythms that help students and staff flourish.

Links to the 54 behaviours

• S6: Focus on the main thing – Aligns with the idea of the 20 Mile March by protecting leaders from distraction and anchoring work to essential goals.
• S12: Lead for lasting excellence – Reflects the long-term discipline and preparation described through productive paranoia and SMaC practices.
• S9: Leverage marginal gains – Connects with the bullets before cannonballs mindset, where small tests build toward bigger improvements.
• S11: Break through limits – Matches the expectation of empirical creativity, which challenges assumptions and uses evidence to innovate safely.
• C3: Establish routines – Links directly to fanatic discipline and consistent practice over time.
• L1: Lead by example – 10X leadership demands visible consistency that inspires the organisation, closely matching this behaviour.
• T7: Hold meetings for impact – The 10X emphasis on clarity, evidence, and disciplined decision making mirrors focused leadership meetings.
• Y9: Build habits that last – The SMaC concept is essentially a system of long-term habits, making this a clear fit.
  

Potential actions for school leaders

• Establish a small number of performance markers for the year and commit to meeting them regardless of external pressures.
• Use pilot projects to test new approaches before adopting them across the school.
• Build organisational resilience by modelling calm, deliberate decision making when circumstances change suddenly.
• Review school systems and identify where inconsistency is holding back performance. Strengthen routines so they become predictable behaviours.
• Introduce a regular leadership rhythm that zooms out to review long term risks and opportunities, then zooms in to act clearly.

Why it matters

Great by Choice offers a disciplined, evidence based model for leading in unpredictable environments, which is the lived reality of school leadership. It explains that greatness is not an outcome of luck or natural talent but the result of consistent, methodical behaviours practised over time. These insights align closely with the Everyone Succeeds framework, especially the behaviours related to discipline, clarity, and long term excellence. Readers can learn more about the authors and their work online.

Favourite quote

“10Xers then bring this idea to life by a triad of core behaviors: fanatic discipline, empirical creativity, and productive paranoia.” (p19)

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