Leading your team, your peers, and even your family to peak performance takes dedication, patience, and commitment. You may need to learn skills and cultivate new habits. But know it’s all possible! You can be key to your own peak performance and the peak performance of those around you. Following are 5 ways to ensure peak performance.

Peak Performance Tip 1: Build Trust

When team members trust each other, they are also more willing to find ways to compliment each other’s skill sets. An example of this just happened to me this week. I was in a meeting with 4 peers and we were divvying up responsibilities of one member of the meeting who is moving to a different role. We were discussing a particular task and I tried to sidestep it by saying I couldn’t do because I didn’t think I’d have bandwidth. We talked more and I blurted out, “Honestly, I have no interest in doing that. I’ll step up and do it if need be, but I’d rather not.”

Even though we were on a call (not video), I could hear people’s eyebrows raise. One person commented, “Welcome to Realville.” But my honesty then prompted two others.

One said, “I actually love doing that task and I volunteered for it.”

The other said, “I don’t know anything about it but I’m willing to give it a try, and I have an hour a day to spend on it. However, I was given this other task and I’m not sure what to do with it.”

Then I replied that I’d be happy to help on that other task.

My first statement extended trust to the team (I mean you really don’t want to get caught saying you don’t have interest in something, do you?) And from there we were all honest and will be a lot more productive because we’ll be doing what we all prefer doing and are more skilled at.

In addition to extending trust, you build trust by doing what you say you will do. Walk your talk. Let the people around you know through your actions that when you say you’ll do something, you do that thing. (And, when you can’t, explain why.) Peak performance is more achievable when there is less uncertainty with how a leader will act.

Peak Performance Tip 2: Over-communicate

When you are leading something, whether it’s a technical feature, a project, or a team, you know a lot about what it is you are leading. It’s easy to assume that everyone is at the same level of knowledge that you are. But everyone else is focused on their own work and responsibilities, and they know that very well.

A good rule of thumb is that when you communicate something important, at the point where you’ve said it so many times you feel you’ve over-communicated, then you are at the minimum amount of communication. In other words, one email or one mention in a team meeting of your vision, an important change or update is not enough. Repeat, repeat, repeat. (And then repeat again.) When you hear your team members telling you what you’ve told them you’re doing well!

Over-communication ensures peak performance because everyone will know which direction to row the boat in. When team members know the vision, know important updates, and understand changes, they can adapt and avoid wasting time doing the wrong thing or doing the right thing wrong.

Peak Performance Tip 3: Meet People Where They Are

I’m talking about the Ladder of Leadership. Is your team member at Level 1 or Level 5 or somewhere in between? That is, do they want to be told what to do, or are they making decisions and learning what’s important to their leader (or somewhere in between)? Meet them at the leadership level they are at, then using the language of the Ladder of Leadership, help them to move up the ladder.

Be aware of context. Your Level 5 technical team member who has just been given some leadership responsibility may need some coaching to get back to Level 5 in the new role. Also be aware of your role in empowering your team. Empowerment rests on two pillars: organizational clarity and technical competence. As the leader you need to be clear about the vision and direction, and help identify and fill any competency gaps before you will see returns on empowerment. In other words, saying “you need to feel empowered” is not enough. We must create the environment that is conducive to empowerment and high performance.

Peak Performance Tip 4: Provide Feedback As Soon As Possible

Whether a team member has achieved a goal, performed well, or made a mistake or miscalculation, provide feedback as soon as possible. As soon as possible may mean immediately, or as soon as you get your thoughts together. Shoot for giving feedback the same day. If there’s a correction you’d like them to make it’s important to get that information to them immediately.

When we wait either we end up not giving the feedback at all, or the precipitating event is a distant memory and the details become foggy. The farther from the moment that caused you to want to give feedback, the less impact the feedback will have.

Consider this. Pick any well-known player in any major league sport. Do you think they only get feedback once or twice a year in a performance review meeting? No, of course not. They continuously have one or more coaches giving them feedback, telling them what they did well and what improvements they can make. Peak performance comes with course corrections, and your team members need to know what needs to be corrected or repeated in a timely manner.

Peak Performance Tip 5: Listen

Active listening is super important because it is the foundation for the other tips presented here. Building trust requires that we have a desire to understand what the other person is saying and why so we can thoughtfully consider their idea, suggestion, or feedback. This means we need to quell the reply brewing in our head while the other person is speaking.

Are you more inclined to share with someone that listens carefully to you or with someone who only talks about themselves or doesn’t really care what you have to say? People have amazing ideas and contributions to make and by actively listening, by creating an environment where it is safe for them to share what they are thinking, performance will soar.

engineer your life

  • Think about which of these tips you are doing well and which might need a tune-up. Then make a plan to improve in the areas you feel are important.
  • What tips would you add? I’d love to hear your list of tips for peak performance!