Why do some people consistently perform at a high level?
Last week, I was asked to speak to a group of Marines who had just completed a challenging training exercise. After the Q&A, one of the Marines asked a question.
“You work with a lot of very high performers. What is the one thing they all have in common?”
That is a great question. If we can identify a common thread that high performers share, it stands to reason that we can adopt that activity or trait and become high performers ourselves.
I think that he expected that I would give a specific workout, way of eating, wake-up time, morning routine, or supplement mix that leads to greatness.
It’s not any of those things.
The highest performers I have worked with in sports, special operations, or business understand several simple truths:
1. They are very clear about where they are going and what is important to them. Having clarity of mission is the key. They understand where they are going, why they are going there, and how they will travel. The mission keeps them moving forward and a set of guiding values or principals keeps them on course. “High performance without self-awareness is like building a house on sand.” Steve Magness
2. They understand and apply the Pareto Principle.
In a nutshell, the Pareto Principle says that 80% of benefits come from 20% of activities. This means that much of our time is wasted. The highest performers pay attention to the activities that move the needle the most and double and triple down on them.
They also understand that often 80% is good enough. An example of this would be working out. I might spend three hours in the gym to receive 100% of the value from a workout, or I could workout hard for 30 minutes and get 80%.
3. They recognize that the devil is in the details.
It’s the continued application of the fundamentals that leads to success. High performers don’t spend time on unstructured practice. They have a plan and focus on fundamental skills. “Practicing until you get it right isn’t enough. You must practice until you can’t get it wrong.”
4. The highest performers have a growth mindset.
They view failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. Those with a fixed mindset think ,“I’m just not very good at _____."
They will never reach their potential.
5- They understand that sucess is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistency is key, or a Ben Franklin said, tiny strokes fell mighty oaks.
6- High performers practice ruthless positivity.
They don’t wake up and say, “I’ve got to go to the gym today.” They say, “I get to go to the gym today.”
7- Finally, high performers realize that it is not just about setting great goals.
I’m a fan of goal setting, but as James Clear says, Winners and losers have the same goals.” Winners find a way to achieve them.
Until next week,
Keep Walking Point
John
If you have any questions or feedback about today's newsletter or if you'd just like to reach out, email me at john@walkingpoint.org. I’ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.
