Are You a Peak Performer or a Weak Performer? Find Out.

The Last Dance got me thinking about more than just basketball.

It made me think about the difference between peak performers and weak performers.

Isn’t that what Michael Jordan was all about?

If you know anything about him, you know he wanted to be a peak performer and everyone on his team to do the same.

He wanted to win as a team and achieve those successes, together.

I think the whole notion of coming together to reach a common goal is relevant in the workplace too.

I know at MASSolutions, we band together to help our clients improve their top and bottom lines.

And, from my experience as the CEO of the company and as someone who has held other senior leadership positions, I’ve learned a lot.

When I paired what I learned in the corporate world with the lessons from my years of being a basketball player and coach, I clearly understood that every peak performer possesses five traits.

Read on to find out what they are.

Five Traits of a Peak Performer

Curiosity

Peak performers have a natural inclination to be curious and expand their knowledge.

They want to learn more about what they’re working on and are passionate about.

Their insatiable curiosity and eagerness to learn helps them improve their skill sets, nurture their strengths, and puts them in a position to grow both personally and professionally.

Driven to be their best, not the best

A peak performer realizes there’s always going to be somebody that’s better than them or has more experience.

Instead of trying to go head-to-head with them, focus on putting your best foot forward and doing what you can do to get better.

For the sake of this article, we’ll use a basketball example.

Let’s say you’re matched up against someone who is bigger and stronger than you. Their hands are like glue when it comes to rebounding. You, on the other hand, are smaller and better at man-to-man defense.

Does it make sense for you to try and battle under the boards to get a rebound?

So, instead of trying to beat them at what they’re good at, focus on what you’re good at which is staying in their face every time they get the ball to force a turnover.

Leverage your strengths to offset theirs.

When you focus on being the best, you lose sight of what’s important and that is to keep your eyes set on what it means to be YOUR best.

Deliberate Practice

When it comes to practice, you have to be deliberate in your actions.

You have to systematically, routinely, and repetitively do the action that makes you get better at what you’re trying to accomplish.

I have a system of deliberate actions for how I create marketing solutions, stories, and messages.

I approach my work with the same tenacity and focus I did when I played and coached basketball.

When you approach your work with a purpose, you’ll notice the difference in the outcome.

Put the Team Over Stats and Self

Peak performers understand their team is bigger than their individual stats and performance.

Anytime I’ve coached, I always knew when a player was more worried about the stat sheet than the betterment of their team.

The ones I counted on in the final seconds of the game were the ones who were more concerned with the team as a whole than themselves.

I’m lucky at MASSolutions because I have a number of team members who understand that what we’re doing is bigger than them and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get where we’re trying to go.

Clear, No BS Communicators

Non-verbals are just as important as verbals and a peak performer gets that.

They’re not afraid to have difficult conversations.

They don’t BS you and tell you what you want to hear.

They’re like the point guard who makes sure everyone is where they need to be, doing what they need to do.

They use their voice and actions to point you in the right direction to be your best and capitalize on opportunities.

If you start living by these five traits of a peak performer, you’ll get more out of your talents and abilities and achieve the goals and success you’ve set for yourself.

Originally published at https://massolutions.biz on May 19, 2020.