High-performance organizations and workplaces are also different from average businesses

– By TC North, Ph.D.

High-performing individuals, including world-class athletes and business leaders, are different from average athletes and business leaders. High-performance organizations and workplaces are also different from average businesses. What makes them so dissimilar? Here are nine characteristics of high-performance organizations, teams and cultures, from high-performance psychology.

1. Willing to fail … in order to succeed.

People are willing to fail in order to learn and succeed, and this is encouraged throughout the organization. This characteristic is a great differentiator both for high-performing individuals and organizations. Greatness requires …

Create creativity with a quiet mind

– By TC North, Ph.D.

“TC North was standing in the shower when a potent idea began to germinate.” This was the headline for an article on the front page of the Sunday business section of the largest daily paper in Denver back in 1998. Reading it, I felt humiliated — a rookie mistake letting a reporter know I originally had the thoughts I shared with him in the shower. But anyone who takes long showers knows, long showers are a form of meditation and can allow creativity to flow.

But now over a decade later, I am not really embarrassed by such things. So here’s what happened in the shower today. But first, some background …

Motivation for high-performers is 80% -100% on what they do want

– By TC North, Ph.D.

What’s Your Juice? I’m not referring to guava, pineapple or orange. I want to know what “juices” your energy, your motivation, your excitement. What turns your crank? What excites you in your work your life?

I once asked a sales coach, “What really excites you about your work?” He thought for a moment and replied, “I’ve been working with an entrepreneur who was ready to shut down his business, and I helped him turn his sales around. He now has positive cash flow and

Dr. North’s Creed …
Be present.
Tell the truth.
Play to win.
Don’t be attached to the outcome.

The third part of the consultant’s creed was play to win (see the last post). Here’s one aspect of play to win that we didn’t cover: The best way to win is to stay in the present moment when performing (selling, competing, being of service) and to do this, don’t be attached to the outcome. Focus on being your best now, in the present.

Dr. North’s Creed …
Be present.
Tell the truth.
Play to win.
Don’t be attached to the outcome.

I adopted this magnificent creed early in my career. It’s multidimensional when fully implemented, and it’s easy to understand (yet takes practice to master). Over the next several posts, we’ll examine each part of the creed.

Here’s a brief description of the four parts:
1. Be present. Show up with a clean slate — your only agenda is to serve the person(s) you are with (selling and leadership) or focus on competing at your highest level in sports.
2. Tell the truth. Always be truthful and find ways to deliver the tough truths in a way they can be heard. Tell the truth to others and yourself. We delude ourselves much of the time. Tell the truth to yourself – deal with the reality of every aspect of your situation.
3. Play to win. In everything that’s important to you, play to win — and don’t be afraid to lose. If you are afraid to lose, you play in fear. You can’t play your best when playing in fear.
4. Don’t be attached to the outcome. If you’re too attached, you may focus on how not to lose, or suffer needlessly when you do lose. More importantly, when you focus on the outcome, you are living in the future, get over that, come back to the present, this is where you are competing!

Be present. In leadership and sales, your only agenda is being with and serving the person(s) you are with. You aren’t in the past or future, just in the present. Ask great questions, listen beyond the words you hear and suspend your thinking while listening, so you tune in to and sense the nuances of the conversation that others miss. (When salespeople learn this, sales flow.)

Here’s a success story: Disney asked Lacy, the CEO of a very small — yet successful — Colorado business, to give a proposal for a significant piece of work. When she arrived at Disney, she was able to just be present. Lacy said, “I was so prepared by the time I got there, I wasn’t as nervous as I expected, even though we were meeting with top brass and I’d never presented to such a powerful group of executives. About 20 minutes into the meeting, I was so engaged in listening to what they wanted and sharing what we could do for them that I’d taken my shoes off and was sitting on my feet.” The meeting went well and had a great outcome. Lacy has a wonderful ability to be present, listen (except when she noticed her feet) and engage with others.

Leave me your thoughts and comments below and I look forward to the conversation.

Dr. TC North

“She looks like she is wrestling an alligator,” said the mother of an extraordinarily talented 16-year-old swimmer during a swim meet. During practice, this incredible athlete was swimming times that would qualify her for senior national competitions (the level that the Olympic team is chosen from. But in competition, she couldn’t even swim a junior national qualifying time, a much slower time. So why was she faster in practice than in competition? Because in practice, she relaxed and swam efficiently. But in competition, she tried too hard, which made her very tense and inefficient — like she was wrestling an alligator.

One former Olympic X-C ski coach always picked a race for his skiers and told them, “Only ski at 90% of race speed.” In these races, his skiers usually had their best times because they stayed relaxed and in the flow state — the state of mind where people are at their best, no matter what they’re doing.

I’ve seen multitudes of athletes, leaders and sales professionals try too hard, resulting in failure. Training, practicing and other parts of your preparation will get you ready. Then, when it’s time for you to perform (be at your best), breathe deeply, relax, be present and trust your preparation. This gives you your best chance to be in the flow state, thus being your best.

“Compete at 90%, not 110%.”
Dan O’Brien, Olympic decathlon gold medal winner

Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below and feel free to look through my new website at www.TCNorth.com.