What if I told you that you are, in some aspects, similar to professional athletes? Or, at least the top 10-15% of the high achievers among you… We all know that they follow a strict schedule, are very disciplined, and work long hours to achieve their goals. But what does science say that are the main similarities between high performance employees and elite athletes?
1) Recovery time: just like in sports, it is important to make time for recovery as well! Taking time off after work is a start, but you need to enjoy this time, and not think of it as ‘wasted time’ of the day. Only then can you truly recover.
2) Goal setting: how do you think Elon Musk made his money’s worth? Like any talented individual, be it in business or sport, he set goals for himself. SMART goals are especially of use here. You would want it to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. What is your next goal going to be?
3) Intrinsic motivation: there is a lot to be said about where these high performance athletes and employees get their strength and power from. Why do they wake up in the morning? What drives them? The money? Not really. That is, so to say, just a side effect, the income you earn for the ripe fruits of the hard work you have done. And why did you do it all? Because you wanted to. Not because someone told you to, not because you were looking for what benefits and wealth you can get out of your work, but because this is what you like to do, and this is what you want to do.
4) Flow: I am reading a book on this state we call flow and cannot help but notice that when an employee is deeply engaged in their work, it is almost like a high performance runner no longer feeling the miles they have already crossed. This deep state can only be reached if you really enjoy what you are doing. That is why most people who love their job are also seemingly satisfied with it. The two go hand in hand.
Because the similarities between these two niches of people is so striking and clear, we decided – at WOUW Performance Coaching – to target high performance employees as the population for our product. Stay tuned for more news to come!
