Is it talent or effort? What makes world class performers standout from others and achieve great things. Scientific studies have uncovered some very intriguing patterns behind world class performers.
It doesn’t matter what you, what really matters is how well you do it. If you are truly exceptional in whatever you do, it will be more rewarding for you than you can ever imagine. Ask any great athlete, musician or top performer in any field, they will tell you, it’s worth the effort to be world class.
So, can ordinary people be trained to be world class. Yes, they can adopt a progressive mindset and train themselves to become better in what they do. Gradually, overtime, they develop skills, ability and the stamina to be among the best in the world. Here’s a look at how world class performers build themselves up for success:
1. Efforts
Michael Jordan wasn’t even selected in his college basketball team. He wasn’t a naturally gifted or talented player as people would imagine. He had to work day and night to improve his basketball skills. He eventually became the best basketball player ever.
Thomas Edison was slow as a child. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t an outright talented person. He was infact an extremely hard working scientist. He developed the light bulb with many of his colleagues. It took him more than 10 years to come up with the electricity bulb.
Mozart took more than 10 years to produce music that was worth listening to. His earlier compositions were mediocre by most standards. He had to work hard to find his genius.
World class performers do not take things for granted. They work harder than others to develop themselves, learn more about their field and constantly find ways to move forward despite challenges.
2. Self Awareness
When talented people fail, they struggle to come to terms with reality. They live in denial and give up. Many talented people are gifted and get used to winning. In the long run, it is people who are determined, self aware of their weaknesses and those willing to put in the efforts to improve that win.
World class performers are aware of their blind spots. They practice and develop themselves by applying themselves. They are conscious and aware of what they need to do to progress.
In the High Performance Habits by Brendon Bouchard, he writes, “Who you want to be each day, how you want to interact with others, what skills you must develop to win in the future, and how you can make a difference and serve with excellence.”
3. Deadlines & Productivity
Time is limited. When you do things without urgency and involvement, things tend to linger on forever. World class performers are very particular about how they invest their time. They stick to deadlines to make progressive efforts.
A time bound progressive plan for achieving things is critical for top performers. It is easy to waste time without being productive in your efforts. But top performers are able to work with high productivity that makes a big difference in the long run. It is the sheer quantum of their work that creates momentum for them that leads to success.
4. Mind Brain Development
Harald Harung and Frederick Travis introduced a unified theory of performance. They examined world class performance in sports, music & management. They concluded their study by suggesting that excellence in any profession or activity primarily depends on a single factor called high mind-brain development.
The higher mind brain development points to the parts of the brain which work in an integrated way. It is a state of super consciousness or higher alertness where brain is at its peak. This results in optimum performance for world class performers. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi also alluded to this and called this flow.
Peak performers are focused and deeply immersed in their works. When they work with full attention, alertness and concentration, they are able to achieve results that transcend the ordinary.
These top performers devote time for building the mental energy and focus required for peak performance. Many of the world class performers regularly undergo physical training, meditation and build routines for deeply focused work.
5. Applying Yourself
World class performers apply themselves, day in day out. They build mastery in their field. To be a world class performer, you need to learn incessantly, practice persistently and improve relentlessly.
Applying yourself is different than just turning up. Experience and mastery are two different things. You can do the same thing again and again without building great expertise. Just spending time without building skills leads you nowhere. You have to work on your skills, expertise and apply yourself to achieve world class feats.
The top performers ask themselves questions on how they can improve. The ask questions like:
Is my performance good enough?
Did I make best use of my day?
What skills will help me to be more successful in my job?
How can I improve myself?
How can I reach excellence and world class standards?
Who can give me the right feedback?
When you have a progressive mindset, you find ways to improve yourself. It helps you improve your performance, set higher standards and get rewarded for your work.
