Running a business, whether you are a sole proprietor or own a large business, is not for the faint of heart. Given the numerous demands of a business, it is easy for even the savviest of business owners to become run down, and not be able to work at peak performance.
Depending on the size of your business and type of business, many business owners work an average of 50-80 plus hours a week. They make decisions daily that impact an entire organisation.
It has often been said that to be a successful entrepreneur you need to wear many hats. You have to manage employees, work on planning and strategy, get involved in purchasing, accounting, marketing, sales, assess efficiency and safety, and the list goes on.
This can very quickly feel like a whirlwind, I know this feeling because I’ve been there many times over the past decade of being in business.
And, as I sit here thinking about each of those experiences, the one thing that helped me put it all together, when at times it seemed completely impossible, was my ability to perform under pressure and execute consistently when the odds were against me.
I like to think of this as: Peak Performance. We hear a lot today about being your best, taking care of business, achieving success, performing at your peak. What we don’t always hear is what it takes to sustain peak performance.
To gain a deeper understanding into this topic, I recently spoke with Frank Cuilui the ex co-founder of Velteo. A company that focused on integrating culture with process and technology for sales and service improvement.
Velteo’s high performance culture was recognised as second to none and was the critical element to its success. With less than 30 employees, Velteo’s most often outperformed and out competed some of its biggest competitors.
Along the way Velteo received industry awards, deployed projects to some of the largest organisations in the country and gained international attention, which ultimately helped him reach an exit four years later. when he sold the company to an overseas competitor.
“Wanting to be the best and pursue mastery were core values shared by all our employees. What I had learned in the many years competing in sports at a professional level is the science of rest and recuperation, and reflection was just as important as the effort you put into training if you were going to have a long and successful career,” said Cuiuli.
Our culture was one where people had a natural tendency to push themselves to their limits all the time. This DNA was inherent in all our employees as it was something that we screened for in our interview process.
Our business environment had us competing with major players vying for share of wallet in some of Australia’s largest corporates. Our competitors were often more resourced and with larger bank balances. This made it all the more important for us to be at our best all of the time.
“However, this work ethic has a dark side as people often would push themselves close to burnout and would not be aware if we didn’t intervene. When everyone in the business is oriented this way you have a greater responsibility as a leader to ensure your teams health and well being, which sometimes meant forcing people to take time out,” Cuiuli explained.
Peak Performance is a commitment to your physical, mental, spiritual being and to your personal growth and development at all times. Peak performance, in my opinion it is not something you can switch on and off; it is what you commit to and strive for always.
Though fictional, Batman is a fine example of what can be achieved when we strive for peak performance. He is driven, motivated and determined as he trains and maintains his superior knowledge, fitness and kit. He comes to life when he is fulfilling his self defined purpose and focused on his ultimate mission.
Almost every peak performer demonstrates ambition and belief and this, along with good tools and a unique combination of planning and impulse, makes it possible to succeed.
Below Cuiuli shares four things you can start doing in your day-to-day routine in order to gain a higher level of peak performance:
1. Take care of the physical
All too often the first thing we give up when we get busy is our sleep, our nutrition and our exercise. This creates a downward spiral in performance. When we stop doing these critical things we often find ourselves with increased stress and decrease in our executive function.
2. Feed the mind
With so much information being available to us in today’s day and age, we have entered a state of information overload. We need to pay more attention to what we feed our minds and should not limit it to simply what is related to our jobs.
3. Be aware of your limiting beliefs
What you believe to be true about the world determines how you behave in the world. We need to constantly be questioning our biases, which we form through our experiences in life.
4. Get off the grid
To maintain a state of clear thought it is important to unplug on a regular basis and get out with nature. Nature has a magical way of recharging our batteries and it’s often underestimated.
My advise is on a regular basis, (for me that’s monthly or quarterly as a minimum) turn off the phones, leave the iPads and other devices at home and get away with the family or friends to the beach, or to the mountains for a weekend.
In my opinion, peak performance is not just about business and achieving goals. It is also about balance between work and family, friends and fitness.
Working towards peak performance is a little like driving a car – it may become routine and you may even flip on the cruise control every so often. But, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and adapt to them when necessary.
Alex Pirouz is the founder of Linkfluencer. He is an Entrepreneur, Author and Business Mentor who assists companies successfully start, grow and exit their business. Connect with Alex on LinkedIn.
