The Subtle Art of Giving a …

The common belief is that on the other side of achievement and success lies a perfect world. A destination that when reached, brings with it only reward, recognition, ease, simplicity and deep satisfaction. A place where both you and your dedicated team are more engaged, committed and perpetually inspired. A place where sustained future success is all but assured.

Yet, what we sometimes fail to recognise is that success (not unlike ongoing failures) may dramatically increase challenge, often in the form of greater demands and responsibilities. It may also present with new (often unfamiliar) experiences that bring greater frustrations, complexity and ever increasing uncertainty.

To achieve any measure of success in our chosen endeavours is nothing short of remarkable, owing to the competitive and challenging operational environment that exists throughout the world today. However, the greatest difficulty ultimately lies in achieving sustained success in all its measures and forms.

Success begets success, or so we are told. How could accomplishment and aspirational attainment be associated with any barrier what-so-ever? It is certainly a challenging idea to wrap ones head around, but does support the idea that the enemy of excellence is good.

Can the relentless pursuit of growth, stretch goals, highly challenging performance targets and the ongoing demands for reinvention coexist with a happy, thriving, healthy, engaged, committed and inspired team that can continuously deliver on expectations?

Drawing insights and inspiration from the world of elite level sport, it appears that sustained performance and wellbeing (both personally and on a team level) can coexist, but only under very specific and deliberate conditions.

Perhaps this is why history has shown us that only and handful of businesses and no more than around 120 sports teams have been able to sustainably express their fullest potential in the face of fierce competition, relentless challenge and unforeseen adversity.

Setting the tone

The precedent for these optimal performance conditions would need to be established by leaders themselves and centre around two key areas:

• Team culture; and
• Management and expression of talent

There are no less than ten core drivers in the expression of sustained success, I have expounded on four.

Sustained performance driver #1:

The harder things get, the better you need to be.

This entails a personal commitment to becoming a better leader as conditions become more difficult.

In order to achieve this you would need to defy the default human response to relentless challenge (notably feelings of reduced ability, anxiety, lack of self-confidence, low motivation etc.) thereby demonstrating exceptional personal resilience. Whether you define resilience as a set of character traits or applied skills is semantics, what matters is personal growth in the areas of self-awareness, self-control, self-accountability and confidence. My latest book THRIVE is a great resource in this regard.

Sustained performance driver #2:

Intensity, more intensity and flexibility

At the highest levels of performance, even the smallest improvement requires a monumental effort. The energy and motivation your team needs to keep going is dependent (and a direct reflection) on you and what you are able to bring to the room each and every day. At the same time you have to have the courage to approach goals and aspirations (especially during periods of stagnation) differently. This often means taking a step back or experiencing failure prior to continued success. The self-confidence and energy required to promote such an environment will demand a commitment to personal health promotion. Peter Atia’s book ‘Outlive’ is a great resource.

Sustained success driver #3:

Maintain a sense of humility.

There are moments in life when we have the potential to get lost in our accomplishments. Consciously rising above this human vulnerability offers two significant advantages. The first is a renewed personal commitment to ongoing improvement together with an greater openness and curiosity in exploring new ideas and perspectives. In this way we are able to prevent personal stagnation and complacency. The second is the ability to support and maintain a deep connection with our teams. Humility makes us more relatable and approachable.

In many respects the antidote to overconfidence is a commitment to seeing fresh and different perspectives (ie. cognitive flexibility) overlayed with a commitment to learning (sharpening our intellect) and is aptly described by the Dunning-Kruger effect which suggest that as our knowledge grows, the awareness of our lack of knowledge increases.

Sustained success driver #4:

The team comes first

Seldom (if ever) is our professional success a sole reflection on us, but rather the expression of the people around us. Each and every day our teams provide instrumental and emotional support, constructive feedback, pushback (which is not always a bad thing), encouragement and have shown belief in us even when we may have doubted ourselves. Their wellbeing and happiness is not only our moral responsibility, but also paramount to achieving sustained success.

Rarely do we consider our teams current stress perceptions or level of resiliency when setting and pursuing goals. Yet this should be at the forefront of any growth strategy. The value lies in the fact that should our teams not be dealing with, or managing their current stress effectively any future aspirations that increase demands, uncertainty and complexity could jeopardise the entire performance ecosystem not to mention health and wellbeing. In such instances only two scenarios can be considered:

1. Postpone future growth initiatives until stress perceptions are more stable (passive)
2. Successfully buffer and manage stress through measurement specificity and informed effort (proactive)

In reality, we need only consider option two as its not only attainable, but can be achieved in a fairly short period of time. It is not to say that it is easy and effortless, but then again nothing of meaning or consequence ever is.

Five years ago I traded traditional surveys (manual and online) for a nuanced HEAT MAPPING process that I developed with my brilliant tech team over a period of several years (with many iterations). With this I have been able to clearly identify, assess and disentangle 12-principle stresses and the protracted effects on health and performance.

The immense value of this MAPPING journey lies in the fact that not all stresses have the same impact on team functioning and wellbeing. In fact, one stress in particular (high demands) may be absolutely necessary in order to drive team resilience and sustained performance when carefully managed.

Additionally, there are seven stress categories that are CULTURAL reflections (ie. lack of support, no perceived control, injustice perception etc.), which are deeply impactful on our emotional wellbeing, physical health and most notably performance.

The final four stress categories are based on external circumstances (sleep quality, medical experiences etc.) and are often be beyond the realm of a leaders control and influence.

Remarkably, when it comes to sustained team performance and wellbeing, it is the CULTURAL stresses (ie. those which a leader has greatest influence over) that are most impactful and completely modifiable.

Applied knowledge is power. By intentionally addressing the primary drivers of your teams stress through data analysis and informed actions, not only are we able to reduce burnout and health compromise within our teams, but we are also able to achieve the impossible – growth happiness and fulfilment as a complete set.

In life the outcome of any goal or aspiration is commiserate with our efforts. In the case of achieving sustained success in business, life or sport, we as leaders are responsible for both the path travelled and ultimate destination. The choice is ultimately yours. Through a ongoing commitment to self-awareness and self-control, unwavering intensity (especially during the more difficult times), humility and by placing your team’s needs ahead of your own, you are able create the framework for an extraordinary story that reflects the realisation of dreams and unwavering excellence.