There are many ways to perform superb work. One approach is borrowed from sports but can be applied in many situations. This involves pausing, preparing and then peaking when it matters.
Peaking can mean different things in different situations. Much depends on the person and what they want to achieve in the situation.
For an athlete it may mean delivering peak performances in competitions. For a crisis manager it may mean making good decisions at crucial moments. For a mentor it may mean being fully present and helping the mentee to achieve success.
There are different ways to peak when it matters. One approach is to go through the following steps.
Pausing
This involves pausing for a certain period of time. Sometimes this could be for a short time, sometimes for a long time. The process often involves being still, recentring and exploring possible routes you can take in the future.
Some people pause many times during a day. They aim to relax, refocus and rehearse what they are going to do next. Some people may pause for longer times in their lives. They may take time out to recover from a crisis, reassess their life goals or prepare before making a transition.
Looking at your own life, when do you take time to pause? You may do this when you are aiming:
To refresh yourself … To relax and recentre … To explore ideas … To refocus on your life goals … To make a key decision … To rehearse what you are going to do next.
What is your preferred way of pausing? Some people reflect, sleep, walk or do other activities. Some do exercises – such as deep breathing. Some buy time to think before making a decision.
Imagine that you are following your preferred way of pausing. You may then move on to the next stage.
Preparing
This involves preparing properly for what you have decided to do. The steps you take will obviously depend on the activity you aim to pursue and the picture of success.
An athlete who is preparing to compete, for example, will prepare both physically and psychologically. They may aim:
To commit themselves fully … To seek advice regarding how to be at their best physical condition … To follow disciplines regarding food and training … To pursue a specific competition schedule.
To prepare themselves psychologically … To accept the pluses and minuses involved in committing themselves fully … To, if appropriate, make sure they manage their family life as well as their athletic life.
To encourage themselves … To build on what they do well and tackle areas for improvement … To manage their body and recover from injuries … To mentally rehearse before competing … To do their personal best on the day.
You will prepare in your own way before doing a specific activity as a counsellor, chef, artist, singer, leader or in another role. It will then be time to move on to the next stage.
Peaking When It Matters
This involves doing your best and peaking when it matters. Different people may do this at different times and in different ways. Much depends on the kinds of activity where they are aiming to perform at their best.
Great athletes, for example, continue to follow their disciplines and produce high quality performances. They may also focus on peaking at certain events. Doing their best on the day, they may then do something special to deliver the goods at the denouement.
Some workers follow a different rhythm. Looking at my work as a mentor, for example, I aim to do a certain number of sessions each day. This increases the chances of peaking.
Between the ages of 50 and 70 I could do around six face-to-face sessions during a day. These days I work from home doing virtual mentoring.
This involves preparing for sessions with individuals around the world. It is vital to consider the topics they may want to explore and then to rehearse the sessions.
The actual sessions involve becoming totally absorbed, focusing on the person and helping them to achieve their goals. Below is how the day may look in practice. This calls for doing my best and aiming to peak when it matters.
Looking ahead, can you think of a specific situation where you may want to follow element of the peaking approach? This could be in your personal or professional life.
If appropriate, how can you go through the stages of pausing and preparing? How can you then do your best and peak when it matters? What may happen as a result?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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