High performance is worth striving for. Certainly you don’t want to be accused of poor performance and average performance isn’t all that flattering even though apparently it describes where most people are sitting. How would you like this label: “Charlie is an average performer. No worse than about half the crowd and no better either.” It may not be fair, but as a society, we don’t hold people like that in high esteem. It’s not that they are bad; they just don’t get noticed.
High performance is rewarded. Only high performance athletes get to go to the Olympics. Only high performance actors get invited to the Oscars. High performance students get the scholarships and get accepted at the best schools. High performance executives get invited to participate in the really interesting deals, the high stakes opportunities and the great salaries. Also-rans need not apply.
There are also high performance teachers and parents. That’s good because high performance is an attitude. It often begins in childhood when ‘good enough’ is no longer good enough. Only ‘great’ is acceptable. It might manifest itself in academics, sports, public speaking, or mechanics. It is the relentless pursuit of the best.
Poor performance is also an attitude. And yet, some people develop a high performance attitude as they mature. They may have endured the boredom and anonymity of school in order to finally excel in something they loved. Many entrepreneurs are like that. Their high performance attitude grew from a love of their trade or the joy it gave them to serve their customers really well. For most high performers, it doesn’t look all that hard. They make it look easy. They have practiced and honed their skills so often that it looks natural. And that’s the joy of high performance. After a while it does become easier. It’s easier to get plumb jobs and opportunities when you’re already recognized as being the best.
have Fun,
Alan
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