A New Understanding of Peak Performance

This is the first of a multi-part series on peak performance. Watch for the upcoming parts during the next month.



The definition of peak performance cannot be found in the dictionary or in an encyclopedia or in wikipedia. But we all know that it means winning consistently, regularly performing better than all or most of the others, setting records, and being ranked as one of the top performers. We’ve all watched people like Michael Jordan play basketball, Johnny Depp act, or Mariah Carey sing consistently at peak performance levels. However, defining peak performance in terms of outstanding performances results is a definition that focuses on outcomes. These performances are the result of a series of actions that peak performers follow and carefully planned practice that creates the outstanding outcomes. The results – the sunk basketball shot, the line delivered perfectly, the high note held impossibly long - don’t explain anything about how peak performance is achieved. In order to be useful for measuring, teaching, and coaching, we need a much deeper understanding of peak performance that explains the series of actions that lead to achieving peak performance – what peak performers do, think, and practice - to perform consistently at peak levels.