I’ve coached business executives and other coaches for more than 30 years, so I’ve gotten to know a lot of people who are very good at their jobs. Most are in the summer or early fall of their careers, with plenty of solid experience that shapes their approaches.

Here’s the problem: the same experience that helps leaders and coaches is also an Achilles’ heel. They are only good when faced with circumstances they’ve faced before. When it comes to tackling a new issue or exploring unfamiliar territory, they struggle. I see smart folks get stuck in the same way, over and over again: they know how to replicate performance, but they can’t create it.

It’s important to understand the difference between replication and creation. Think of it this way. Some painters are good at replicating the masterpieces of great artists, merely painting––albeit virtuosically––by numbers. YouTube is full of talented singers covering great artists’ songs. The unknown belting out “Hello” is thrilled by the commenter who gushes, “You sound just like Adele.” She––or he––deserves the compliment. They’ve worked long and hard to become a facsimile of a great.

But what if you want to evolve from replicator to creator? How were Prince’s jaw-dropping guitar solo and Fosbury’s flop born? These questions that shape art and athletics also define success in business: how do you expand from being able to replicate good or even incrementally improved performance to creating performance that is currently thought unobtainable? How did Pixar’s animation and the iPhone happen?

Part of the answer is everyone mentioned above found the courage to give up being good. To be great, you have to walk away from the comfort of being enough.

The actual process of turning your back on good to reach for great is “performance transformation.” Performance transformation is a quest taken by a group of people. Together, this alliance intentionally causes a monumental shift in their behavior, their culture, and their very selves to create performance once believed impossible. It’s one of the most difficult challenges a leader can take on, and make no mistake: the transformation cannot happen without an All-In™ Leader.

An All-In Leader is 21st-century pacesetter, architect of extraordinary performance, and promoter of humanity in the workplace. All-In Leaders apply human-based influencing and decision making that ensures they—and the companies they lead—are in harmony with profitability, sustainability and meaningful work for their employees.

The fact that you’re reading this post reveals an awareness and longing in you that suggests you’re serious All-In Leader material.

Download my new white paper if you’re ready to learn more about performance transformation. How do you know when you’re ready? You must be:

  • a business leader and/or coach ready to give up being good
  • searching for ways to up your game, add to your repertoire, and realize new aspects of your potential
  • ready for a challenge that will demand that you grow as a leader and coach
  • able to overcome your fears and confront your biases about leadership, coaching, performance, and success

Imagine walking into any situation and knowing you will create–not replicate–an extraordinary result. You have that potential. Performance transformation is the methodology that can help you harness it.


 

SUMMIT  DATES ANNOUNCED!

Ready for even more? Let’s get together in person. I will host Heretics to Heroes All-In Leader Summits this summer in Austin, Texas, where I will train and certify leaders and coaches in my All-In™ Performance Transformation methodology. The first summer session is already full, so we have added a third installment to cap off the season. The remaining two events are set for August 28-September 1, and October 2-6,  I encourage you to explore the summit details to see if you and these one-of-a-kind events are a fit.