STRIVING TOWARD BEING A PEAK PERFORMER
I was teaching a time management workshop the other day (using my book PerfectTIMING) when a participant told me that she was a Workaholic. She seemed very proud of that. None of other participants seemed to react to her comment, so I thought this would be a good time to take what she said and examine it during the workshop. Many people call themselves Workaholics and feel that this helps prove their dedication to their organization, but if they really knew what a workaholic was, I think they’d change their tune. They would start to realize that modern day leaders look for people who can get things done within the confines of a workday.I should add a comment here that start-up organizations require a different set of rules. People in these organizations sometimes burn the midnight oil to set up a strong base for the organization-- but even they get to a point where they start to question the number of hours people are putting in and want to know that it is truly making a difference.Let’s get back to the Workaholic. This is a person who works long hours, sometimes increasing them to the point where their job creeps into their personal lives. They may even face stress-related illnesses, as this “disease” takes over their life. They have no real goal in mind except to work harder and harder. (You know what I’m going to say next: Don’t just work hard, work smart.) Smart would mean that as you work so hard you wake up one day and ask yourself why you are working so much.That’s where Peak Performance comes in. Being a Peak Performer means that you work hard and smart— you have a goal in mind. You know that you are reaching toward something that makes you better and better.That is what I want all my clients to achieve when they do executive coaching with me. I ask them why they are doing what they are doing. I want them to get better and better as a person. And does it take a lot of hard and smart work? You bet it does, but it’s for a purpose. It also helps them attain the wealth and happiness they are looking for, BUT it will also help them take a more healthy approach to life in general. They will then have all three of what I think is essential: The health, wealth and happiness they deserve.There are so many ways to reach peak performance (which you will read about in upcoming blogs), but please steer clear from ever becoming a Workaholic. Move toward being a PEAK PERFORMER.Peak performers are good at determining the PerfectTHREE’s, as I call it in my book.What are the Perfect THREE things I should be doing… this hour, this day, this week, this month, this quarter, this year, this life? Do you know the answers to those questions?
