So, although I have still been reading the last few months, I’ve not actually been posting my reviews regularly enough, so apologies for that. But here’s the first book review of 2018 and it’s a cracker!
Title: High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way
Authors: Brendon Burchard
Topic: Self help, motivation, coaching , leadership
Appropriate for: Anyone who wants to improve their own performance in sport, career or relationships!
Overall rating: 5/5 – Stop what you are doing and read it now!
Overview:
I was a little sceptical of this particular book as I had heard a fair bit of hype around it. Brendon Burchard is apparently one of the highest paid and sought after self help coaches around. So, I thought that perhaps this book might just be one of these cliché and predictable books on motivation and achievement. I was wrong.
One of the things I really like about this book, is unlike many books on leadership and coaching etc. it isn’t based solely on anecdotes but is backed up by some research conducted with different groups and individuals. Additionally, “high performers” weren’t selected based on excellent performance in only one domain, but the ability to achieve high performance in multiple domains – personal relationships, business, health, work life balance etc. The definition used to describe high performance is, “succeeding beyond the standard norms, consistently over the long term.”
In this book the author seeks to answer the following 3 questions:
- Why do some individuals an team succeed more quickly than others and sustain that success over the long term?
- Of those who succeed, why are some miserable but others happy on their journey?
- What motivates people to reach for higher levels of achievement initially, and what factors help them improve faster?
The main message of the book boils down to 6 habits/behaviours being responsible for continued high performance:
- Seeking clarity: on who you want to be, what you want, what brings you the most purpose/meaning and doing this repeatedly, not only at new years eve!
- Generating energy: caring for yourself by looking after your health, exercise, stress levels and personal relationships.
- Raising necessity: getting clear on your standards and external demands placed on you. Essentially its your WHY.
- Increasing productivity: Being prolific on producing on the things that matter in your area and reducing distractions away from these tasks
- Developing influence: developing belief and support for your efforts/projects
- Demonstrating courage: Regularly choosing to stand up for your own ideas even in uncertainty.
What I liked about this book was that it wasn’t just a nice read on theory or frameworks. It genuinely challenged me and it literally asks different questions or “performance prompts” of you, usually at the end of each chapter, but also all the way through!
Since reading these I’ve incorporated using them into my self-reflections or journal to keep me on track. As a coach, it helped me nail down my purpose in serving those I coach, ensuring I know how to bring my A Game to my sessions, and focus on not compromising my coaching life and my personal life – which is always a challenge!
Here are some example of the questions:
- ” If I was going to get in the best shape of my life, the first three things I would stop doing would be . . .
- “The outputs that matter most to my career are . . .”
- If I were going to approach my relationships and career as an even better role model,the first things I would start doing are . . .
If you actually engage with these thoughtfully and regularly, I do think they would positively influence the direction of your relationships, your coaching and your career as a whole. As such, I really recommend that you get a copy of this book and give it a read – I know it’s helped me and I hope it will help you also!
You can find the book here: High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way
Happy reading and please like, comment or share as you see fit! Keep up to date with the latest content via our Facebook page here.
Are you a grassroots youth sport coach or PE teacher who wants to improve the athleticism of your athletes?? Check out our Fundamental series athletic development programs here.