What Separates Average Performers and High Performers?

Any conversation in regard to performance must begin with one concept – the concept of self-awareness. Without self-awareness, consistent, sustainable performance is impossible. Contenders have self-awareness and know what makes them tick. Pretenders lack self-awareness and hesitate in knowing what makes them tick.

Here’s the problem and one of the primary reasons I wrote the book – “You are a Contender! Build Emotional Muscle to Perform Better and Achieve More … in Business, Sports and Life” – a very small percentage of people have a significant enough level of self-awareness to be truly consistent. In our research approximately 2 out of 10 people have a reasonable level of self-awareness.

What is self-awareness?

Very simply, it is the ability to know and understand yourself.  You may be self-aware if you can answer yes to the following questions -

1. Do you understand how your emotions impact you and your performance from moment to moment?

2. Do you understand how your emotions impact others?

3. Do you intimately know your strengths and limits? Can you write them down?

4. Do you solicit ongoing feedback from others about your performance?

5. Are your values and goals always aligned with your actions? Have you clearly defined your values and goals and written them down?

6. Do you make time for self-reflection and thoughtfulness?

This is a starting point to determine your level of self-awareness. We also use assessment tools with our clients to help them understand where they may need work and where their strengths lie.

Let me step back just for a moment -

Any performer knows that the ultimate state of high performance is a high level of belief in yourself and your abilities. The sad reality for most performers is that in not knowing themselves well and understanding what makes them tick – what exactly are they believing in? This is the situation I found myself in playing high level professional golf in the late 80s and early 90s. Sports psychologists and supporters constantly told me to “believe in myself” and that’s all I needed to move myself to the next level. While this was great advice and the truth – the problem was that I didn’t have enough self-awareness and know myself well enough to know what to truly believe in. I was attempting to believe in something I didn’t understand.

So self-awareness is the starting point and the foundation for great performance.

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