Are You a PEAK Performer?

I heard a wise person years ago say that one form of hell is meeting the person you could have been.

PEAK performance is about closing the gap between who you are now and who you could or should be – as a business owner, salesperson, athlete, or anything that matters to you. First, is there a gap? Likely – yes. Second, what is your potential? Third, close that gap.  Do it with a specific, intentional focus on becoming a PEAK performer. Here is my recommendation on becoming a PEAK performer in anything you want. 

P means perspective.  Perspective is about how you think.  This is where it all starts. The couple going into their marriage with questionable commitment or an environment of disloyalty and disrespect comes in with the wrong perspective. It‘s a perspective prone to failure.  That’s the world they know – it’s their current normal.  This, of course, assumes they want a great marriage.  To succeed, the mind needs a new normal.  Get the right perspective.  See things as you want them to be, not as they are.  I believe perspective trumps all the rest.  Give me a couple, a business owner, or an athlete with the right perspective – I’ll bet on them first. 

E means expertise. Expertise is about how you do what you do.  How well do you do sales, business, marriage, parenting, exercise, etc? In baseball or tennis, it may be the mechanics of your swing.  It’s the intellectual part of the process – the “how to” of your objective.  “How to’s” become the pathways you build in your mind through proper execution and repetition.  A great pianist didn’t get that way by just showing up – they worked, they executed and they honed their craft. 

A means action.  Action asks the question “How often do you do what you do?” You can have great perspective (mindset) and great expertise (mechanics) but without ACTION it’s just frustrating. You cannot steer a parked car.  It may look good, but it ain’t going anywhere!  Getting consistent action out of my clients – especially sales related – is often my biggest challenge.  How many times do you swing the bat? Are you executing enough to measure your mechanics, much less develop good mechanics?  Just swing the bat, then begin adjusting and improving.  As you read in John Maxwell’s book, Failing Forward, quantity often produces quality – especially when properly coached.

K means knowledge. What do you know about what you are doing? Have you read a leadership book lately? As a business owner, do you understand enough about ROI, P&L statements, and fixed costs?  Do you understand what makes your spouse tick, what motivates your kids and what energizes the individuals on your team?  There are books and people that can help you in all these areas. Ask, be interested, engage and connect.

There you have it. Become a PEAK performer in the big rocks of your life – what’s really important, but not always urgent.  Start with Perspective – as Aristotle said, “The greatest victory is over self.”