The 8 lesser-known secrets of high performers across all industries

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Back to today’s article:

Dedicating myself to high performance as a writer and coach was one of the best things I did.

But what’s ‘high-performance’ anyway, Jack? Sounds like some guru stuff you’d only read on a Twitter thread.

High performance isn’t some hallowed place you reach through hard work. It’s about continual growth, where you strive to operate at the upper bounds of your capabilities and push the limits of what you can achieve.

(And yes, you can do all this without ‘burning out’).

High performance is about living on your edges. It’s the only way to live because anything that falls short risks switching off your spark.

Here’s what I learned from a range of fields that helped me develop high performance in my own work:

Drill the fundamentals.

Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has said that the key to his success is not flashy brilliance but rather a relentless commitment to the fundamentals of the game, honing the same basic skills repeatedly.

High performers in any domain prioritise mastery of the basics (so that they can be smashed as needed).

Develop a high tolerance to uncertainty.

It may seem as though those who operate at the highest level know more than most, but really, they’re just better at functioning with incomplete information.

No one knows what will happen. But you limit yourself by spending too much time trying to control the future.

With less on your mind, particularly in situations that require improvisational skills, like writing, rapping, sports and music, you perform far better.

Find flow in the grind.

Elite athletes often describe being ‘in the zone’ — a state of such effortless focus and immersion that time seems to stand still.

This elusive ‘flow state’ is the Holy Grail of high performance.

It’s accessed not through a moment of divine inspiration but through the other-worldly presence brought about through consistent training.

Leverage the ‘90% Rule.’

High performers know quantity is just as important as quality.

Many quit because they took the quality part too seriously, ending up lost in their pursuit of perfection.

The top dogs strive high but are totally okay with imperfection each step of the way.

In making peace with 10% not perfect, they prize momentum over getting bogged down in the tiny details. Send it.

Cultivate ‘Relaxed Intensity.’

World-class athletes often describe a state of “relaxed intensity” that allows them to perform at the highest levels.

They are fully focused and engaged, yet also loose, fluid, and free of tension. How to achieve this?

Be intolerant of thoughts that put you off your game, stay in the moment, and physically let go. This applies to any field.

Be the person you’re looking to be inspired by.

High performers are rarely without coaches.

But a coach doesn’t need to have achieved more than you to be a valuable guide. Just look at the coaches of the number one tennis players.

High performers look beyond the norm and commit to becoming the very person they are looking for inspiration from.

They inspire themselves in their bold actions and continual striving to be the best.

Leverage the 80/20 Principle.

The Pareto Principle states that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts.

I’ve known this for years but frequently forget to apply this understanding to my work. But when I do, things explode.

For example, knowing that 80% of my income comes from 20% of my clients helps me restructure my priorities to what matters.

High performers ruthlessly prioritise and eliminate the trivial many in pursuit of the vital few activities that drive outsized impact.

Adapt to an abundant mind.

High achievers don’t view the world through a lens of scarcity. Sadly, most people do.

They see things as a zero-sum game in which one person’s success inevitably means another’s loss. This is loser thinking and will keep you stunted like a dying shoot.

Make a simple mindset shift and see how there is more than enough success, recognition and opportunity to go around, because there really is.

This is how to be unapologetically ambitious.

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