I’ve had the pleasure of spending the last two decades working with leaders and their people. As part of my job, I get to see under the hood of many organisations, to see what works and what doesn’t. To see what’s ‘normal’ and what’s unique, and of course what’s changed during the course of the last 20 years. The answer is a lot. But one thing that’s remained is the reoccurring themes that present in people who are successful. There’s some things that high performers often do and they’re often the same. I notice this in those I work with and those we read about from the celebrity world and Silicon Valley.
They have an ability to consistently perform at their peak and to do this sustainably. They show up in service of others. They have clarity and focus. They remain calm, even amid the chaos. They know themselves and have discipline in the pursuit of their goals. They are consistent and optimistic, finding a way through the challenges they face. They enjoy learning from others rather than feeling threatened by them. They control their schedule rather than allowing it to control them and that schedule always includes time for them. They balance work with family and they do work that lights them up and gives them meaning and purpose.
All this might seem easy to say and intellectually understand, but how do we bring it to life without putting additional pressure on our already busy schedules to make some of this stuff happen?
My experience has been that it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. If it’s small things we’re looking to implement, they seem more doable too. They’re more likely to make a difference if we’re able to put them into practice.
Sometimes they seem so small we overlook them or it’s stuff we used to do and then got busy and they dropped off the radar. Until we get a reminder. We’ll here’s that reminder.
Managing our mindset, improving our focus and ensuring we’re full of energy can start with the smallest of steps. It’s how we treat our minds, how we prioritise the good habits, how we make time for the things that refuel our tank and how we integrate strategies that keep us sustainable.
To get the biggest performance gains, try some of these simple strategies:
Put your phone away for a day
Go alcohol-free for a week
Meditate or find some quiet time for solitude and reflection
Journal your thoughts, your plans, your insights and your successes
Read a book
Go to bed early
Go for an hour’s walk without your device and be in nature; find space.
In a world that celebrates hard work, doing more and quantity, often at the expense of quality, I think these things hold true more than ever. It’s the product we create, the culture we exist in and the energy we have within that makes the difference.
These are constantly touted as the keys to peak performance and yet it’s still tempting for us to forget the simple things and believe they can be sacrificed in favour of busyness or getting more done from the to do list.
Yet it’s this stuff that will always be the difference in the quality of what you produce and your ability to continue doing it day after day, to keep you sustainable as well as successful. Try one thing off this list this week and see how you can incorporate more of this into your schedule.
This is only a start, there’s so many more things we could include on this list. What are your go-tos? What do you do that’s small and yet makes a huge difference?
Successful people are also human and they prioritise their human-ness to ensure they can perform. They invest effort into their being so they can be better in the world. They bring the being into their human being and they show up fully human. That is success and it impacts on everything we do from our health to our relationships and our work.
Find out more or book a call and see how we can work together.