The Path To Peak Performance

…People change if and when THEY are ready.

Not you. Not me. No one else.

Furthermore, people change by becoming MORE of what they are, not trying to become what they are not.

Think of a time when you tried to be or do something that your heart wasn't into...

How did that work out for you?

Maybe you had success in the short term, but I doubt you could sustain it.

That's what happens when you don't get the buy-in…from YOU.

When it comes to REAL growth, raising awareness is the biggest success factor - individual and team.

By raising awareness to blind spots, and other obstacles holding you back, you clear the way for peak performance.

Think about it - If you are unaware of defensive behavior when receiving feedback, people will stop giving you feedback.

Without feedback, you CANNOT grow...or improve.

Raising awareness should be the primary method AND goal of all development work.

Incidentally, there are lots of great development tools and methods out there.

I'm familiar with a handful of good personality profilers (Myers Briggs ‘MBTI’, StrengthsFinder, Insights, DiSC).

Before becoming an MBTI Practitioner, I learned about my preference for harmony, and aversion to conflict.

However, helping people confront conflict is a BIG part of my chosen profession.

This information helped me make peace with conflict so that I could better do my job.

If something helps you gain a deeper understanding of yourself or others...I'm all for it.

However, I do NOT believe there is one magic tool or method that holds the solution to your specific situation - individual or team.

Your situation is unique and specific to YOU.

Therefore, the tool, method and approach must be as well.

These 3 core beliefs have guided me throughout my 25 year career journey.

I have seen NO exceptions.

If you agree with any these core beliefs, I'd love to have you in my tribe (see BIO for newsletter sign up).

Over New Year’s, my wife and I spent some time in the magical town of Ojai, about 45 minutes southeast of Santa Barbara.

The Ojai valley is famous for its beauty and vegetation - especially its trees. Standing under one of those magnificent trees, I got to thinking…

Life is full of peaks and valleys. Wins and losses. Or, "strikes and gutters" for Big Lebowski fans.

If you think you can bypass this well-accepted fact, talk to someone who has lived a while. They'll set you straight.

Another thing I've heard from people over the years is this: You learn MORE from the losses than the wins. Yes, it turn outs that failure is a better teacher than success.

Considering that failures DO NOT feel very good, I find this harder to swallow…

But, if you think about it, the ability to bounce back from misfortune (mistakes, failures, losses, bad luck) builds the resilience muscle like nothing else.

So if resilience is something you are trying to build, look no further than your setbacks.

I read something the other day about synchronicity that hit me right between the eyes. Here's the gist:

"...we have to understand that our lives are filled with both positive and negative events. Once we can recognize that one event is neither more desirable nor better than the other …"

I like to think of my events like branches on this massive tree. No one branch is superior to the others. Perhaps older or longer, but not better.

You've probably already thought about your wins from 2024. Specifically, how you can repeat and build on them.

If you haven't gotten around to this yet, take a few minutes to think about these 3 questions:

1. What accomplishments am I happy about / proud of from 2024?
2. Thinking back to my biggest win, what did I learn about myself? About others?
3. How can I build on my 2024 accomplishments?

LEADERS TAKE NOTE:

From Forbes to Psychology Today, you can read how self-awareness is the key to good leadership.

So if you want to be a better leader, take the time for questions that are designed to help you reflect and learn.

Keeping in mind the value of both positive and negative events...

LET'S GO A LITTLE DEEPER -

+What was my biggest loss last year?
+What did I learn about yourself from the event?
+How will this experience and this learning benefit me?

If you can't yet see a Silver Lining, keep digging.

And if nothing comes to mind, just remember - at the very least, you grew personal resilience.

For that you can BE PROUD.

What is your biggest learning from last year? (win or loss)

Get my Newsletter for regular tips & big ideas:

https://www.pathtopeakperformance.org/the-career-success-newsletter

Drop me a note - I'd love to exchange ideas with you!