The Peak Performance Expert

One of the things that separate champions from also-rans is the reaction to mistakes. In my work as a performance coach, I have seen many people’s careers stall because of fear of making mistakes.  No risk, no gain. They are reluctant to move out of their comfort zone and so their lives remain stagnant - dead - going no-where. 

The mind-set of champions is different. Rather than avoid risk, they embrace it.  Rather than shrink from challenges, they seek them out. And when they make a mistake, they don’t dwell on the failure aspect, instead they learn from it. 

Peak performers (and I include here everyone from athletes to business professionals to performing artists) view mistakes as the opportunity to learn how to improve performance; they recognize that there is so much more to learn from a loss than a win and so they take time after a loss to conduct an honest, objective evaluation.  This self-assessment includes assessing what went right and what went wrong; what factors contributed to the failure; what could have been done differently; and what areas need strengthening in order to prepare for a future performance. 

I recommend  that such a self-assessment be done in writing for several reasons. First, putting thoughts on paper (or an electronic version although I prefer the old fashioned tactile way of holding pen and scribbling on paper - preferably a notebook dedicated to your performance record) is itself an act of commitment and allows you to organize your thoughts for future reference. Second, it allows you to keep track of your goals and your progress.  Third, that which we pay attention to improves. 

So, next time you make a mistake or experience a failure, do what peak performers do - honor the feelings of disappointment briefly then step back and evaluate the mistake in an objective, dispassionate way and highlight the lesson embedded in the mistake. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 3:30 pm and is filed under Championship Mindset, Mental Toughness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.