The 50% Rule with Erin Hatzikostas- Your Success Capsule

How many times have you found yourself staring at the ceiling at 3 AM, exhausted yet unable to sleep, wondering if you’re doing enough? If you’re working hard enough, networking enough, being good enough? The modern playbook for success seems to demand that we constantly push harder, reach further and somehow magically do it all while maintaining that effortless glow of having it all together. Sounds familiar?

For years, we’ve been told that the path to success is paved with relentless hustle, meticulous perfection and unwavering pursuit to proven formulas. But what if we’ve been getting it all wrong? What if the secret to standing out isn’t in trying harder to fit in?

We reached out to Erin Hatzikostas who’s recent book The 50% Rule, reminds us that you can’t compare yourself to others when you’re competing in a league of your own.

Tired of following someone else’s formula for success? The 50% Rule: Throw Out Half the Playbook to Start Competing in a League of Your Own” (Urano World Books, 2024) is your North Star! While reading this book I realised that this isn’t just another business book— but your Success Capsule, where learning to be your authentic self, gives you more, a lot more, than doing more.

We grew up being obsessed with giving 110%, and former CEO Erin Hatzikostas is championing a counterintuitive message: try giving 50% instead. But before you dismiss this as another corporate burnout story, understand that Hatzikostas’s revolutionary “50% Rule” isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing different. “Stop trying to out-work others and instead, focus on out-uniquing them.”

The genesis of The 50% Rule is as unconventional as its premise. After stepping down from her CEO position without a concrete plan, Hatzikostas found herself pondering her next move while sitting on ice-cold bleachers at her son’s hockey practices. What emerged wasn’t just a career pivot—it was an entirely new philosophy about success.

“I realized that authenticity was my strategy for success,” she reflects. But not the Instagram-filtered version of authenticity we’ve come to expect. Hatzikostas defines it as “exposing who you are, when people least expect it, in the service of others.” It’s this unexpected element that forms the core of her 50% Rule: take any traditional approach, throw out half of it, and replace it with your unique spin.

Breaking Free from the Perfection Prison

The book arrives at a crucial moment when burnout and perfectionism are reaching epidemic levels, particularly among women. Hatzikostas’s solution? Stop trying to perfect other people’s formulas and start creating your own.

The approach is refreshingly simple: whenever you’re tackling anything—from launching a product to throwing a party—throw out about half the traditional playbook and inject your own ideas into the mix. The result? Not only do you get more excited about what you’re doing, but others do too. “Most customers, friends, and colleagues get bored with things that are expected,” she notes. “We constantly yearn for something new and fresh.”

Hatzikostas practices what she preaches. When faced with the traditional book tour format, she had her “aha moment” in the shower: why not create a tailgate-themed book tour? It’s this kind of creative problem-solving that she believes can transform everything from major business decisions to daily chores like laundry.

The impact of this approach extends far beyond professional success. One of her favorite examples is Bill McCormick, an entrepreneur who used the 50% Rule to break out of his echo chamber, leading to profound personal growth and a more inclusive worldview. “This is not an outcome I ever expected The 50% Rule to bring about,” Hatzikostas admits, “but it’s now the North Star.”

The New Mathematics of Success

Recently dubbed “an up-and-coming Mel Robbins,” Hatzikostas brings impressive credentials to her revolutionary approach. As a former corporate CEO and founder of Authentic inc, her TEDx Talk ranked among the top 20 globally most viewed in 2021. But it’s her refreshing blend of corporate wisdom and irreverent honesty (complete with what she calls “a sprinkle of salty language”) that makes her message resonate.

The 50% Rule isn’t just about work—it’s about liberating yourself from the exhausting pursuit of someone else’s version of perfection. In a world where everyone is trying to give 100% to everything, Hatzikostas suggests a radical alternative: give 50% of what’s expected and 50% of what’s uniquely you. The result? A formula for success that’s not just sustainable, but also authentic to who you are.

You transitioned from CEO to “professional pot-stirrer” – what sparked this authentic shift?

I have a Personal Pattern that I think many others have as well. About every 3-4 years in my career, I get an itch for something new. The same thing happened after completing a turnaround of the company I was leading. Except this time the itch felt different. No other corporate leadership roles seemed like they could scratch it.

I decided to retire from my CEO position, without a solid plan in place. When I announced this, people kept telling me they’d miss my authentic leadership. I started to reflect on this land and realized that my authenticity was more than simply that I’ve been “myself”. I realized that authenticity was my strategy for success.

I decided to put my thoughts on paper, primarily while sitting on ice-cold bleachers at my son’s hockey practices. What I realized is that I had a lot of opinions on the working world, and many of those opinions were not the same fluff and BS you most often hear.

Most importantly, I saw through my career rear-view mirror that my authenticity is what made me and our company successful. And I saw other leaders and companies doing the exact opposite, making their people miserable while also making their businesses blend in.

Led in equal part by inspiration and disgust, I decided it was my unique mission to set out to make the working world a lot more authentic. I saw that it was a win-win for both company culture and company sales. And, I knew that the things I needed to say and challenge would take serious pot-stirring to also ensure my messages didn’t blend in!

How does The 50% Rule free women from the exhausting pursuit of perfection?

Perfection Pain is a real thing and one of the many symptoms of Sleeprunning Syndrome, a “disease” I talk about in The 50% Rule. 

Here’s the thing: women are exhausted because they have a false belief that there is largely one formula for doing anything. The 50% Rule says that anytime you’re doing something –  launching a product, throwing a party, raising your kids – always look to throw out about half the advice, traditional “playbook,” or simply the norm. Then add your own ideas, flair, and spin to about half of what you’re doing.

When you do this, a few things happen:

• You get more excited to do things. The Self-Determination Theory teaches us that people are much more motivated when they have, at least in part, a say in what they’re doing.

• People get more excited about that thing you’re doing. Most customers, friends and colleagues (i.e., all humans) get bored with things that are expected. We constantly yearn for something new and fresh.

• You no longer can compare yourself to others. Comparisons are now irrelevant. And if Perfection Pain is the disease, Comparison Cramps are the symptoms. 

Once you realize you’re simply competing in a league of your own, you’ll no longer worry about perfecting anything. Instead, you’ll be excited to experiment, create and inspire others with your fresh, new approach.

You mention “loving kick in the pants” – what wake-up call do women most need today?

You need to stop trying to out-work others and instead, focus on out-uniquing them. It’s easy to get sucked into what worked for others and try and do the same or better than they did. You do need to learn from others. You don’t want to smash your face into some of the same barriers they smashed into.

At the same time, you should constantly analyze the underlying intent of their approach, intent, or success. Then think about how you can take part of their formula to make your own new formula. 

So much of “success” is not about working harder. It’s about connecting with others. It’s about getting them excited about your new idea. It’s about standing out in a sea of blue suits. The 50% Rule has been my go-to hack for success. I’m hoping it will be for others too.

How has embracing your authentic self transformed your definition of success?

I want to be clear: Authenticity is not synonymous with being yourself. That’s called being faux-thentic. 

To use authenticity as your strategy for success, it’s important to first understand the root word: authentikos. Authentikos means to be genuine, original, and authoritative. Most importantly, being authentic isn’t necessarily about you. It’s about others.

I define authenticity as exposing who you are, when people least expect it, in the service of others. People who successfully use authenticity to advance their careers, be better leaders, and have business success don’t “do” authenticity to simply embrace their authentic selves. They use authenticity to create stronger connections, increase trust, and stand out from others.

The final “tough love” on this is that being authentic at work takes…work. It’s easy to send boring emails. It’s easy to deliver the same 72-page sales presentation you’ve always delivered. It’s easy to pretend you’re cool and smart. But those things don’t help you create faster connections. They don’t speed-pass people to trust you. And they certainly don’t help you stand out from the competition.

If you want to truly leverage authenticity to make it your strategic advantage, you have to go against the grain. You have to plan to tell a story at a meeting instead of saying words or spewing data. You have to pause and think about a little creativity you can put into your email response that is more human. You have to constantly be collecting humility moments of your own and then have the guts to tell them, when people least expect you to.

Ultimately you have to have the guts to act in the very way that you’re craving others to act.

What’s the most liberating aspect of stopping “100%ing” your problems?

There’s always a way out of your problems that is more fun. I’ll give you an example. When I wrote my first book, I didn’t do a book tour or launch event. I blamed it on Covid, but the truth was that I didn’t feel like doing it. I break out in hives when I see a project plan, and the thought of executing my book tour as well, if not better than others’ book tours paralyzed me.

So when I wrote The 50% Rule, I dreaded having to face the reality: I had to do a book tour. One day I was writing a chapter of the book and took a break to take a shower. While in the shower, it hit me, “Duh, what if I 50% Ruled my book tour?” I started going through the steps I outlined in that chapter to guide my thought process and, voila, The 50% Rule Tailgate Book Tour idea was born!

No longer feeling like I had to 100% follow the standard book tour “project plan” was not only liberating and motivating for me but as soon as I told others my book tour would be tailgate-themed, they got so excited. 

But let me be clear, 50% Ruling doesn’t just apply to big barriers and problems. As soon as you start to use it, you’ll find 50% Rule solutions in everything from how you run your business to how you do your laundry!

Can you share a story of someone who found freedom through “half-normal, half-you” ?

Yes! In the book, I share tons of 50% Ruling stories about everyone from mega stars like Weird Al Yankovic to everyday people like you and me. One of my favorite everyday people stories is from Bill McCormick, an entrepreneur and soon-to-be author. He told the story about how he struggled to find his way in several of his early business ventures and then how he had a big shift and success in his business when he started 50% Ruling things.

But that wasn’t my favorite part. What blew me away was that he went on to talk about how he’s an older, white, Christian male. He said that The 50% Rule catalyzed him to start reading more liberal books. He said, “This has led to a vast change in my beliefs where I value people over theologies and have embraced a human-first outlook, confronted my own entitlement, and I now proudly wear the label of being ‘woke.’

All of this stems back to a 50% Rule outlook—we have access to knowledge we’re given and taught, but we also have experience and our own reason to come to conclusions that are unique to us and to our environment. Understanding this should make us more tolerant of the views of others, especially those whom we don’t agree with.”

This is not an outcome I ever expected The 50% Rule to bring about but it’s now the North Star.

What unexpected joy have you found in competing in your own league?

I love this question. I think the most unexpected joy is the relief it brings to the Comparison Cramps I inevitably get, just like all other women. The cramps still come, but I get through them much more quickly. I constantly say to myself, “Yeah, but you can’t compare yourself because you’re always on your own, about 50% unique path.”

About Erin Hatzikostas

Erin Hatzikostas is a courageous leader and, in fewer words, the voice on authenticity, championing genuine leadership and human connection. The founder of b Authentic inc. she’s spearheading a movement to transform corporate culture. A former corporate CEO turned Authentic Leadership expert, Erin is a best-selling author, TEDx speaker and executive coach who’s fresh perspectives on career and leadership reaches a global audience.

Her candid podcast “b Cause Work Doesn’t Have to Suck” isn’t another podcast on leadership but, most likely, the valid answer to being happy in your career.

With degrees from Western Michigan University and the University of Connecticut, Erin combines deep business expertise with real-world wisdom. When she’s not revolutionizing workplaces, you’ll find her coaching basketball, hitting the slopes, or dancing wherever the moment takes her – always with an authentic spirit that defines both her personal and professional life.

ABOUT URANO WORLD PUBLISHING

Urano Publishing is the new US based imprint of Urano World. After 40 years in the Spanish market as Ediciones Urano and having published some of the biggest names both in fiction and nonfiction such as Ronda Byrne, Don Miguel Ruiz, Loiuse Hay, Joe Dispenza, and Susan Cain, among many others, Urano World is opening its first imprint for English titles in the US. With offices in Miami, Urano Publishing will begin releasing its first titles in September 2023, with an ambitious publishing plan and all the talent and energy that have made us one of the biggest publishing houses in the Spanish-speaking world.