What does Nelson Mandela have in common with Nicol David? Or Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali with Sir Roger Bannister? All of them are peak performers - people who consistently produce outstanding results in various arenas. Peak performers include world-class athletes, high-performing managers, successful entrepreneurs, accomplished professionals, top salespeople and renowned statesmen.
The good news is that peak performers are made, not born. Peak performers are ordinary people who have acquired certain positive attributes which empower them to attain extraordinary results. Peak performers generally share 10 basic attributes.
1. High self-esteem
Peak performers generally have high self-esteem, which is essentially one’s overall sense of self-competence and self-worth. Self-competence is essentially having self-confidence whilst self-worth is accepting oneself unconditionally and having the feeling of being worthy of living. Simply put, peak performers have strong faith in their abilities and view themselves as valuable individuals.
Self-esteem is a prerequisite for productive behaviour in general. In the words of Charles Garfield, “The one element that stands out most clearly among our peak performers is their virtually unassailable belief in the likelihood of their success.”
High self-esteem makes the most of one’s personality and abilities. It also triggers enthusiasm and enhances creativity. Most importantly, high self-esteem empowers individuals to attain desired goals and to establish good interpersonal relationships.
2. Self-responsibility
Peak performers assume 100 percent responsibility for their lives and actions. The importance of self-responsibility is best captured by Les Brown: “Know that it is you who will get you to where you want to go, no one else.”
Peak performers are proactive and have an internal locus of control - they believe that they largely determine the outcomes of their actions. They dare to take calculated risks in pursuit of their goals, make their own breaks, and take ownership for their mistakes. Research has shown that people with an internal locus of control are likely to be more achievement-oriented and successful in life.
3. A clear and personally compelling mission
Peak performers have a clear and personally compelling mission which provides them with a burning desire to excel. The personal mission statement outlines their overall purpose in life and major values (personal code of behaviour). The personal mission is made more specific through the formulation of verifiable, realistic and time-bounded goals.
In the case of Nicol David, her mission was to become world number 1 in women’s squash and she left no stone unturned towards this end. She ended up winning eight world titles and a record of 108 consecutive months as titleholder of World No 1. Similarly, Michael Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals in the sport of swimming, had hand-written goals kept in his closet to motivate him daily as he gets dressed in the morning.
4. Strategic plan
Peak performers have a strategic plan which outlines the action steps necessary for attaining their mission and goals. It generally encompasses the pursuit of the required knowledge and skills; establishment of the necessary personal contacts who can assist them in attaining their goals; and determination of deadlines for the various action steps.
Nicol David’s success story reveals the importance of a strategic plan. When her performance in world squash competitions was erratic and not up to the mark, she knew it was time for a new game plan. Nicol David rightfully sought the services of Australian squash coach, Liz Irving (a former World No 2) who guided her successfully towards becoming a sporting legend.
5. Mental rehearsal
Peak performers prepare themselves mentally for any challenge they encounter. They imprint vivid and detailed mental images of their successful actions or extraordinary performance in the “mind’s eye”. Peak performers often combine their visualisation with affirmations or positive self-talk.
For example, Sir Roger Bannister, who created history in 1954 by running a mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, attributed his feat to visualisation and scientific training methods. He conditioned his subconscious mind to believe, contrary to that of “experts” and sports commentators, that it was possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. Bannister’s “impossible feat” shows the importance of having a winning mindset in attaining peak performance.
6. A sense of inner calm and peace
Peak performers generally have a sense of inner calm and peace which enables them to concentrate fully on their goals and to excel at whatever they do. It also enables them to maintain their composure under potentially stress-producing circumstances.
Their sense of inner calm and peace is primarily due to good mental and physical health which also provides them the extra energy needed to maintain the competitive edge. Peak performers maintain their physical health through proper nutrition, adequate rest, and regular exercise.
7. Effective self-management
Peak performers get more of the right things done in less time by focusing their efforts on activities that contribute most towards the attainment of their goals. Peak performers practise good time management skills such as doing first things first; tackling challenging tasks when they are at their best; planning for tomorrow today; and taking positive action against time wasters.
Peak performers also maintain self-discipline which is critical in transforming one’s mission and goals into reality. Peak performers focus attention on attaining their goals and are not sidetracked by distractions. Additionally, they are willing to make sacrifices and postpone immediate gratification for reaping future dividends.
8. Good interpersonal skills
Peak performers have good interpersonal skills. They seek mutual benefit in all human interactions. Peak performers create “win-win” relationships; are good listeners; treat everyone with respect and dignity; always try to see the other person’s point of view; and are appreciative.
As managers, peak performers are skilled at motivating and empowering their subordinates to perform their personal best. Take heed that more careers have been derailed through poor human relations skills than through technical incompetence. According to Robert Bolton, 80 percent of people who fail at work do so because they do not relate well to other people.
9. Resilience
Peak performers have the ability to bounce back from temporary setbacks. Failure is viewed as a learning experience and a step towards success. As succinctly stated by Napoleon Bonaparte, “Victory belongs to the most persevering.”
Peak performers also adapt quickly to new realities. They are open to new ideas; are willing to learn from others who know more than them; and are able to correct their course in pursuit of their goals.
Peak performers continually adapt and change their behaviour until it produces the desired results. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
In a similar vein, Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali, the high-performing second and longest-serving Bank Negara governor, persevered in his vision of making the country’s central bank a force to be reckoned with in Asia.
10. Continuous self-improvement
Peak performers are lifelong learners who subscribe faithfully to the process of continuous improvement. They continually educate themselves and seek new knowledge in their field to maintain the competitive edge. They view mistakes as learning opportunities and are receptive to constructive criticism.
This attribute of continuous self-improvement is best exemplified by Nicol David who never rested on her laurels despite being World No 1; she continually sought to improve every aspect of her game to remain at the top.
To conclude, peak performance is not primarily a function of academic achievement, intelligence, heredity or luck. Peak performers generally share 10 basic attributes, with all of them being intra-personal - within one’s control.
You are the architect and master of your own destiny. In the words of Robert E Kelley, “It wasn’t what these stars [peak performers] had in their heads that made them standouts from the pack, it was how they used what they had.”
You can either continue to drift aimlessly in a sea of mediocrity or make a firm decision to become a peak performer. The choice is yours, and yours alone! - Mkini
RANJIT SINGH MALHI is a widely-quoted authority on self-leadership, peak performance and soft skills. He has written six books on personal excellence, soft skills and management, three of which have been translated into Arabic.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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