The framework for achieving Peak Performance in business has been built on Sports Logic. The harder we work, the more we push ourselves and burn the midnight oil to get the ball across the end zone or in the hoop; the better we will do. In sports and in any domain where peak performance is desired, we have been taught to sacrifice our body and our health, in order to win. It’s no different in industry. We are told from an early age to push ourselves to the limit, to compete on every level, the jobs we try for include the sentiment “must be able to work under pressure”. However, when we live our lives and operate at work like every day is a race against time; the pressure on our bodies, hearts and nervous system breaks down our resilience, our perspective, and ultimately our ability to sustain peak performance.
Common mantras of competitive organizations are endure, force, intimidate & dominate. When this way of being is celebrated in business the movement towards presence, compassion, engagement, and innovation is thwarted. What's considered effective in business through roughing it out and toughing it out leads to reactive behavior, personality conflicts and overall dissatisfaction in the workplace. The stress of navigating entrenched behaviors, operational breakdowns and seemly daily or weekly organizational crisis is what leads to good people to leave less than thriving teams. Stress is a dangerous and costly. Managers must be aware and awake to the adverse impacts of burnout in the workplace and have a plan to mitigate it.
On the contrary, all data on high achieving organizations collectively points to a healthy organizational culture as the catalyst for long term sustained peak performance. When people work in an organizational culture that is intentional and healthy, they are naturally more grounded, secure, aligned, and present. Leaders committed to shaping and leading a peak performing organization must begin with laying the foundation for sustainable performance to happen.
It begins with understanding the core traits, values and behaviors employees need to possess to operate at peak and continues with a deeper understanding of why people would choose to align their efforts and behaviors with the organizations noble cause and big picture and in turn operate at peak.
Leaders committed to shaping smart and healthy organizational culture need to couple the right people and the work they do at work with the noble cause of the enterprise. It’s ultimately the responsibility of the executive team and those that report to them to set a course of action that inspires members of the team to work together in alignment to achieve results that move the noble cause forward. Making this happen, first requires attention and intention on hiring the right people who are intrinsically motivated to continually demonstrate the discipline, behavior and skill to move forward in a world where obstacles and challenges are around every corner.
Peak Performers Are in High Demand.
Peak performers are highly sought after in today’s world.
Every leader asks for this level of performance in their hiring criteria yet rarely experiences this level of output from each member of their team.
Why is this the case? The answer is simple but not easy.
Hire the right person for the right role for the right reasons. Given the amount of time it takes for someone to achieve and sustain peak in a chosen field, it makes sense that the right reasons are uncovered in the hiring process and nourished on the job.
The challenge to attracting and retaining these peak state people is in creating an intentional, healthy, growth mindset culture where these types of employees feel they can thrive. Make no mistake about it; people who are easy to work with, deliver better than was asked for, take initiative to improve the environment and processes of where they work and take 100% responsibility for their experience and impact at work are in high demand. These are hallmarks of people who live and work in a peak state. These model employees also have more choices than their less interested in being in a peak state colleague and demand more from the organization a result. They want more space and freedom to create, more flexibility in where and how they work, they want continual growth and development both personally and professionally. They want shared leadership, as well as a meaningful and a fun work experience. Retaining motivated, disciplined people who work well with others training requires an investment in personal and professional development and leadership training programs.
Peak Performance and Growth Mindset
It is possible to create an organizational culture where peak performance is the norm.
There is strong evidence that the way to generate peak performance from the collective is to create the space and conditions for the growth mindset in your company.
Fostering a growth mindset is not just fostering a growth mindset where people are going to learn a new way of doing business, or learn how to be an ambidextrous organization, but fostering a growth mindset is about fostering a deep sense of internal curiosity in people about themselves and their experiences of work.
When individuals, groups and organizations are curious about the dynamic of the self at work they are more awake and more aware to who they are being and how they operate at work. When people show up for the right reasons and already have a healthy internal foundation to work from, and they experience an organizational culture of getting better all the time; they have regular access to explore their internal curiosity at and about work. This continual exploration of improving offers human beings a unique opportunity to tap into their intrinsic motivations, intuition, and instincts. The benefit of this as a way of operating is people develop better decision-making skills, gain stronger connections to what and why of internal and team disciplines and expand their capacity to know the next right thing in service of achieving the noble cause. This type of growth appeals to people at all levels as they move forward on their career journey as well as men, gender neutral and women in leadership training.
Peak Performance Can't be Mandated.
Human beings who are connected to their higher purpose and lean into the discipline required to be a peak performer they are connected to the energy of fulfillment.
These people are more likely to be in sync with their mind, their heart and their gut. When they're connected to the three internal power sources, sustained peak performance is a natural self-expression.
When people are more in sync with their head, their heart and their gut, they naturally make better personal and professional decisions. And when they're more in sync with their head, their heart and their gut, and they're making better decisions; they make those decisions in service the highest and best interests of not just themselves, but for their workplace and their community. When people are awake and aware to what is, they see their impact on the collective and are simply said more “mindful” in their approach to work.
The connection between an individual’s power source and peak performance in every domain is proven. It also allows people to effectively mitigate and manage burnout in the workplace, because people are tuned in and aware of how they feel and what they need.
The Doorway to Peak Performance
All Leaders need to make time to recharge the leader within, connect ourselves to our bigger why and recalibrate to what’s next, on a regular basis.
Beyond recalibrating and bringing ourselves into alignment, Peak performance demands that we strengthen our relationship to personal accountability, personal responsibility and personal integrity. Educational leadership training programs designed for self-reflection, exploring purpose, values and goals; empower men and women in leadership to identify what is important personally and professionally and then to create a plan of action to live and lead their life in integrity.
All leaders need to do this for themselves and invite their team members to do the same. The only person that can take responsibility for living an aligned life and operating in a peak state is oneself. It is an inside job. This type of regular leadership training is a staple of Peak Performers. This is why our team has developed several leadership training programs with this framework in mind. Our Ignite Your Power program, specifically for Women in leadership, it is a training that empowers women to mitigate and manage burnout in the workplace.
When we take the time to recalibrate and align ourselves with our passion & our purpose we naturally bring ourselves into alignment and when we do this our performance in every domain of life improves.
Join us for a women in leadership training beginning Fri, Sep 23, 2022, 7:00 PM through Sun, Sep 25, 2022, 3:00 PM PDT at Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma, California.
This 2.5 day immersion for women in leadership program offers an opportunity to see, explore and create the future as a possibility and to uncover blind spots and barriers below the surface blocking that future vision from becoming a reality. Through a series of inquiries, conversations and experiential practices that include stillness and walking meditation, self-reflection, painting and journaling along with a host of other provocative explorations guests will uncover deep personal truths and take action towards leading and living an inspired, intentional and aligned life.
This retreat offers a personal empowerment toolkit that enables you to show up and operate at the highest level of effectiveness most of the time. You emerge from this woman in leadership training with a renewed level of confidence and discernment for authentic decision making and calling forth leadership in others. You also learn how to connect and bond with your highest self, your inner self, and the world at large. Enjoy a unique opportunity to engage and align mind, body, and spirit. Now is the time—and this is the place—to tune into your innate intelligence and turn on your leadership superpowers.