How to move towards High Performance

How to perform highly…

Unfortunately, there isn’t a formula that you can mindlessly apply to move into a high-performance space. As we discussed in the last blog, the goal needs to be a mindset of higher performance. The E and R in that term is a massive mindset change, from high performance is something over there that other people do, to highER performance, anyone can do it at any given time from world-class footballers to the gig worker dropping off your overpriced delivery food. 

But there are things we can try to do, to enable us to move into the objective space of high performance. Because high performance is defined by objective metrics, those metrics may be self-defined or more likely defined by your arena or environment.

The objective nature of high performance is ruthless, you either make it through the threshold or you don’t. The good news is that I think there are several enablers of high performance. These enablers have been refined through dozens of workshops with Outliers clients, they are based on a mix of insights from best-selling books, science but also my experience failing, excelling and growing through life.

The enablers are, in no particular order…

  1. Disciplines of Discipline [Adapted from The Road Less Travelled, M Scott Peck ]
    • Delaying of Gratification
    • Acceptance of Responsibility
    • Dedication to truth/reality (our map vs reality)
    • Balancing (authenticity vs love / Yes vs No / tactical vs Strategic)
  2. Focus
    • Extreme Tactical Focus
    • Timeboxing
    • Incentive
    • No
    • Bracketing
    • Prioritisation – The 4D’s.
  3. Vulnerability
    • Emotional Contracting
    • Openness to challenge
    • Collaboration
    • Submission to the team. We Not Me.
  4. Coaching Concepts
    • Unconditional Positive Regard
    • Listening for Learning
    • Coaching Agreement
    • ON not IN
  5. INTENTIONALITY 
    • Desire and Goals
    • Planning & Metrics 
    • Habits/Consistency
  6. Character and Grit
    • The ability to move forward through pain and discomfort
    • Deliberately seeking character-building experiences, to bank character for times of need.

Some questions:

  1. In what order would you place these enablers? from most important to least important.
  2. Which one are you going to focus on first?

There is a lot here, and a danger of overload. But high performance is a brutal pursuit, if you want it, take the time to digest these enablers. Listen to the podcast where I expand on each one and perhaps even get me and the Outliers in to help your team engage with these enablers and the performance spaces.

And remember the difference here between average performance and high performance is the movement through a threshold, that is often painful and requires, a little bit more, a mindset of discretionary effort. You gotta want it…

Listen here on. Apple Podcasts: – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-delta-pod-mindset-matters/id1511816524

Watch here on Youtube: – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjNlbWZGdpbC8qvKdRdTLlg

Dave

The Performance Spaces : How will you use the Enablers to move into a High Performance Space, breaking through the High performance threshold???