How Do I Get 1% Better Today?
The Answer: Remain Coachable
One of the greatest leadership lessons I’ve ever learned comes from an unlikely place—a boxing movie.
In the original Rocky, Apollo Creed is the heavyweight champion of the world. He’s at the top of his profession, famous, respected, and convinced no one can touch him. When it’s time to defend his title, he handpicks Rocky Balboa, an unknown fighter from Philadelphia, because he thinks it’ll make for good publicity. Rocky isn’t viewed as a legitimate threat, so Apollo doesn’t prepare like he normally would. He trains just enough, believing his talent alone will carry him.
It almost costs him everything.
Fast forward to Rocky III, and the roles have completely reversed. Rocky is now the champion. He has the fame, the endorsements, the statue, and a string of title defenses that have made him comfortable. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, he develops the exact same disease that Apollo once had. He loses the hunger that made him great.
Then Clubber Lang enters the picture. In just two rounds, Rocky loses the title, his confidence, and his identity as champion.
But here’s the part of the story that has always stayed with me. After the fight, Apollo doesn’t teach Rocky a better jab or a new combination. He simply tells him the truth that nobody else in Rocky’s life was willing to say. “You’ve got the disease of me.”
Apollo recognized it because he’d already lived it. He knew that the greatest danger wasn’t Clubber Lang—it was success. Success has a way of convincing us that we’ve arrived. It whispers that we don’t have to prepare like we used to, study like we used to, or work like we used to because we’ve already proven ourselves.
The truth is, the very habits that helped us reach the top are often the first habits we abandon once we get there.
I’ve seen this happen in coaching, leadership, business, and even in my own life. The moment we stop asking questions, stop seeking feedback, or stop learning because we think we’ve “made it,” growth quietly begins to stall. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to become complacent. It happens one small compromise at a time. One skipped workout. One book not read. One difficult conversation avoided. One moment where we believe our title has become more important than our teachability.
That’s why I love how this connects to E+R=O. Every result in life creates the next event. Winning a championship. Receiving a promotion. Growing a successful business. Those are all events. The question is always the same: How will I respond?
Some people let success change their behaviors. They become less disciplined, less curious, and less coachable. Others let success deepen their commitment to growth. They understand that more influence requires more humility, not less.
One of the greatest gifts you can have is someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth. Rocky needed Apollo because Apollo had experienced the same blind spot and had the courage to call it out. Every leader needs an “Apollo” in their life—someone who isn’t impressed by the title, but is invested in the person.
So here’s my challenge for you this week:
When was the last time you genuinely asked someone, “What am I missing?” When was the last time you invited honest feedback without becoming defensive? When was the last time you intentionally put yourself back in the position of a learner?
Because the day you stop being coachable is the day you stop growing.
And leaders who stop growing eventually stop leading.
Never Stop Getting Better
John Perry