The One Micro Step Above Rule
Do the thing you were asked, plus one tiny anticipatory step nobody asked for.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 85%
Johnson calls this the 1% or 10% rule: go a tiny percent above what everybody else is doing. The point is not extra volume but anticipation — if your boss asks for a report, deliver the report plus three predictions for the next one; if they ask for a pitch deck, deliver the deck plus a drafted pitch email. One micro step past the brief is enough to stand out, because almost nobody takes it. She then flips the rule into a hiring heuristic: when screening candidates, look for whoever went one extra step in the application — a thank-you note, a quick video, three suggested changes, an unprompted 30-60-90 plan. Those are the A players.
Origin
Johnson presents it as an extension of proactive value-giving inside Career Cheat Codes, noticing that the same tiny-margin behaviour that makes an employee stand out to a boss is the exact signal that identifies an A player during hiring — which is why she teaches it to employees and founders simultaneously.
Core principles
- 01You only need to go a tiny percent above what everyone else is doing.
- 02The extra step should anticipate the next need, not add volume.
- 03The same rule is a hiring filter: A players show it in the application process.
- 04Anticipation reads as judgment, which is what gets you trusted.
How to run it
- 1
Complete the actual ask first
Deliver what was requested, done well. The micro step is an addition, never a substitution.
- 2
Ask what comes next
Identify the immediate downstream need this deliverable creates — the next report, the email that has to send the deck, the follow-up question.
- 3
Add one micro step, not ten
Three predictions attached to the report. A drafted email under the pitch deck. One step above everybody else is the whole target.
Pro tip Keep it genuinely micro — the rule is a tiny percent, not a heroic overhaul.
Watch out Going far beyond scope can read as overreach rather than judgment.
- 4
Apply it in job applications
After an interview: send the thank-you, the quick video, three changes you'd make, or a high-level 30-60-90 plan.
- 5
Screen for it when hiring
As a founder, watch for candidates who take one extra step in the application process. Those are the A players worth hiring.
In the wild
A boss asks for a report. Instead of returning the report alone, you return the report with three predictions for what the next report will show.
→ Johnson's claim is that this micro step — along with drafting the pitch email under a requested pitch deck — is what makes you stand out, because it anticipates the next need.
In a hiring process, some candidates email a thank-you, send a quick video, or share three changes they would make or a high-level 30-60-90 plan without being asked.
→ Johnson tells founders these are the people to hire — the extra micro step in the application is the reliable A-player tell.
Common mistakes
Confusing more work with the extra step
The rule is a tiny percent above, not doubling the deliverable. The signal is anticipation and judgment, not volume.
Not applying it to applications
Job seekers do the application exactly as specified and blend into hundreds of identical submissions, missing the cheapest available differentiator.
Is it for you?
Best for
Job applicants, new hires, and anyone trying to signal judgment quickly; also hiring managers screening for A players.
Not ideal for
Contexts where scope creep is penalised or where the extra step would look like overreach into someone else's remit.
From the transcript
“I think it's a 1% rule or 10% rule. You just want to go like a tiny percent above what everybody else is doing.”
“If your boss asks you to make a pitch deck, do the pitch deck and draft a pitch deck email.”
“Those are the people we really want to hire because those are the people that are going even just one tiny step above and beyond.”
From the episode
Courtney Johnson: Career Cheat Codes to Stand Out, Get Promoted, and Win at Work
Courtney Johnson