There are many models for doing superb work. One approach is to have a positive attitude and focus on a specific activity where you may have the ability to deliver peak performances.
Different people follow this approach in different ways. If appropriate, you may want to explore the following steps.
Passion
Many career coaches advise people to follow their passion. Others say this is not good advice. They suggest that people should focus on the things they do best.
Great workers often combine these elements. They pursue a passion where they have the ability to do superb work. They may feel passionately about encouraging people, designing gardens, finding a medical cure, fighting for justice, caring for animals or doing another activity.
Purpose
Great workers translate their passion into a clear purpose. They may aim to write an article, climb a mountain, finish a marathon, teach an inspiring course, lead a team to success, build a certain kind of culture of whatever.
People like to have a sense of purpose. They love to work towards achieving a compelling goal. This can provide meaning and structure to their days.
Imagine that you want to follow one of your passions and translate this into a clear purpose. You may want to express this purpose by working to achieve a specific goal.
You may want to write an article, teach a seminar, create a website for people with a particular illness or do some other project. What will be the benefits of achieving this purpose – both for you and for other people?
Bearing in mind the work involved, how would you rate your motivation to pursue the project? Rate this on a scale 0 – 10. Make sure the rating is at least 8+/10. Will achieving this goal give you a sense of peace?
Principles
Great workers often have a have a clear philosophy about their life or work. They then translate this into action by following their chosen principles.
Such individuals take this approach whether counselling people, coaching a sports team, leading a business or doing other kinds of work. They focus on the principles they want to follow and translate these into practice.
Imagine that you are focusing on doing a specific activity where you may have the ability to deliver peak performance. What are the principles you want to follow when doing the work? If you wish, try completing the following exercise.
Professionalism
Great workers are super professional. Imagine you have set a specific goal. What are the three key strategies you can follow to give yourself the greatest chance of success?
How can you build on your strengths and manage the consequences of any weaknesses? How can you follow your successful style of working? How can you get the right people around you who will complement your strengths?
How can you maintain good habits? How can you keep doing the right things in the right way every day? How can you make sure you are still on the road to achieving your picture of success?
How can you keep focusing on the things that are in the green, amber and red zones? How can you manage these things and stay ahead of the game?
Problem Solving
Great workers find solutions to challenges. Some even use setbacks as a springboard to success. You will do this in your own way, but it can be useful to ask some of the following questions.
Looking ahead, what may be some of the difficulties I may face on the journey? What can I do to prevent some of these difficulties happening? How can I manage these difficulties if, despite my best efforts, they do happen?
What can I do to stay calm during a crisis? How can I buy time to think and explore the options for going forwards? How can I find creative solutions to challenges? How can then pursue my chosen option and do my best to achieve success?
Peak Performance
Great workers do their best to deliver the goods. How can you do whatever is necessary to reach the goals? How can you always do the basics and then add the brilliance?
How can you encourage yourself on the journey? How can you manage your energy properly? How can you make good use of your prime times – the times of the day when you have most energy? How can you build in time to rest, reflect and refocus?
How can you keep improving? How can you keep focusing on: a) the specific things you are doing well and how you can do more of these; b) the specific things you can do better and how?
How can you be a good finisher? How can you flow, focus and finish? How can you add that touch of class? How can you achieve peak performance?
Peace
Great workers love to do their best. This can lead to them enjoying a sense of peace, which can take different forms.
A person who is adrenaline-driven may enjoy stretching themselves and reaching a specific goal. This may be followed by a rush of satisfaction and feeling high.
Such a person may then enjoy a sense of peace, but this may only last for a short while. They will then move on to planning the next mountain they want to climb.
Some great workers go a step further and aim to pass on their knowledge. They may do this when acting as leader, mentor, coach or in another role.
They want to share what they have learned and help other people to succeed. Such people find that passing on this knowledge can sometimes lead to a sense of peace.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the peak performer’s path? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
Leave a Reply