Tiger Woods did it again. He was one shot behind the leader and within striking
distance on the 16th hole, but he was facing a tough shot
approximately 180 yards from the green.
Like a virtuoso who has complete mastery of every note, Tiger lofted the
ball past the flag and then spun it back within a foot of the hole. He birdied
that hole and went on to win the Bridgestone Invitational for the seventh
time. Does it really surprise
anyone when he delivers a spectacular performance?
I am often asked what separates the great performers from
the very good ones. Whether in
sports, business, or life, we admire people who rise above the fray to become
the best of the best. But what is
their secret? What common elements
bind champions like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and
Michael Jordan?
Talent is definitely a cost of entry. You have to have talent in your
respective sport or profession. Work ethic is another common theme that dwells within every
great performer. No matter how
talented you are, you have to practice and have a desire to work hard to move from
the middle ground of good to be considered among the all-time greats.
In studying excellent performers in sports, business, and
life, I think there is something more – something more discrete that reveals
itself at just the right moment. In
my experience, I have noticed three superior traits that separate the good from
the great:
- Focus – You have to be focused to perform at the highest
level and not just in a general sense like “I need to be focused!” Champions in any arena possess a
laser-like focus where they center their thoughts and aspirations on becoming
the best. They answer the
questions of “What’s at stake?”, “Who else is involved?”, and “How can I make
an impact?”
- Will to Win – Incredible leaders in business, sports, and
life have an intense desire, or volition, to accomplish their goals. For each adventure, they have an “I
Will” mindset in which they emphatically declare, “I Will win this
tournament/game/match/client!”
Each of the champions mentioned above go into each competition knowing
and exclaiming they will win.
History conveys that they do not win every time, but they don’t throw
out the mentality at the first sign of defeat. Tiger Woods did not make the cut in the British Open about a
month ago, but he came back knowing he would win again and he did!
- Recovery Time – I use this qualitative and quantitative
measure to gauge the improvement of performance in the people I coach. Recovery time describes the time it
takes for a person to recover from something they did not expect to
happen. An example would be a
golfer who misses a putt on one hole and has to come back to hit the tee shot
on the next hole. A champion is
able to put the past behind them and get into the flow of the current moment.
Whether you are a mother, father, business leader, athlete,
or entrepreneur, you can learn a lot from the elite performers. Consider how you can apply these 3
traits in your life to pursue your maximum potential!
For more information about these and other
principles that will help you perform in the moment in all of your
roles in life, check out Mike Van Hoozer's book: Moments: Making Your Life Count For What Matters Most.
For more information on hiring Mike to speak to your organization, click here.
For coaching information, check out: Unleash Your Potential!
