Accelerating Excellence: The Principles That Drive Elite Performance by James A King -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Table of Contents ACCELERATING EXCELLENCE COPYRIGHT TESTIMONIALS DEDICATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR PREFACE AMBITION IS NOT THE PROBLEM

Structure of this Book

PART 1 INTRODUCTION 1 THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

Source One: Single Discipline Specialists Source Two: Expert Performers Source Three: Expert Writers Source Four: Academic Experts Source Five: Performance Experts The Knowledge Upgrade Chapter Summary

2 PERFORMANCE IS NEVER A COINCIDENCE

The Exponential Breakthrough Defining Human Performance The Outliers: Modelling Excellence The Methodology Chapter Summary

PART 2 CONCORDANCE 3 FINDING YOUR SWEET SPOT

The Two Yous

Low concordance High concordance

How to Become Concordant Chapter Summary

4 THE BEST GET BETTER

The Hard Work and Determination Myth Responsiveness to Training Stacking Strengths

Two types of strength

The Strengths Appraisal Tools

Tool one: cognitive test batteries Tool two: psychometrics

Chapter Summary

5 DISGUISING REPETITION

Interests Appraisal Chapter Summary

6 SACRIFICE, FIGHT AND BELONGING

Where Does It All Go Wrong? The Sexy Myth Values Appraisal Chapter Summary

7 ZERO ONTO TARGET

The Total Overhaul Role Shaping Better Beats Perfect We Get Sharper as We Go It’s Not a Panacea Keep a Finger on the Pulse Chapter Summary

8 TALENT IDENTIFICATION

How To Predict a Superstar that Isn’t One Yet The Traditional Approach

Limitation one: Sign ‘er up Limitation two: The smart and competent trap Limitation three: Superficial screening Limitation four: Ego Limitation five: The interview problem Limitation six: Bias

Chapter Summary

9 HOW TO PREDICT A SUPERSTAR

Step One: Create an Avatar

Be specific Values are key

Step Two: Increase the Quality of Our Gene Pool

Communicate authentically

Step Three: Design Screening Tests

Technical capacities Behaviour Emotions

Step Four: The Assessment

Scoring

Step Five: Talent Confirmation Step Six: Feedback Loop

Retaining talent The benefits of rigorous talent identification

Chapter Summary

PART 3 SKILL ACQUISITION 10 WHY IT LOOKS LIKE MAGIC

It Looks Like Magic Mental Structures

Benefits of mental structures

Chapter Summary

11 PERCEIVE, DECIDE AND EXECUTE

The Traditional Approach: One-Dimensional Training

Misconception one: Doing the job makes us better Misconception two: Consuming knowledge makes us better

One-Dimensional Training The Way Forward: Three-Dimensional Training

Perception Decision-making Execution

Chapter Summary

12 PRINCIPLES OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL TRAINING

Principle One: A Broad-To-Narrow Approach Principle Two: Games Over Drills Principle Three: Work Things Out for Yourself Principle Four: Training is Hard Principle Five: Be Specific Principle Six: There Is Lots of Uncertainty Principle Seven: Variability Chapter Summary

13 THE POWER OF CONSTRAINTS

Task Constraints

Deadlines (tight or slack) Severity of consequence (for success and failure) Speed of the session (speed it up, slow it down) Set specific points Purpose of the task (the why) Resources (restrict or permit) Prerequisites (patterns of work/play) Information (withhold/overload)

Performer Constraints

Anthropometry (height, weight and limb lengths) Fitness (strength, aerobic capacity and flexibility) Cognitive ability Personality Sensory (sight, sound, feel, touch, taste and smell) Emotional control (impulse)

Environmental Constraints

Location (geographic, socio cultural, public/private, light, noise, altitude, weather, time zones) Culture (aggressive versus passive) Resources (support staff, facilities) People (over/under rely on) Technology (limit or overload) Logistics (things go smoothly, things go wrong)

Chapter Summary

14 COACHING FEEDBACK AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Coaching

The great coach

Feedback

Step one: You Step two: Peers Step three: Coach Step four: Data

The Environment

Connection Competition Autonomy Opportunity

Chapter Summary

15 INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT PLANS (IDPS)

Creating an Individual Development Plan

Step 1 – Modelling excellence: What are we trying to build? Step 2 – Rate importance: What are the highest value activities? Step 3 – Set a baseline Step 4 – Set a target: What outcomes do we want to achieve? Step 5 – Set a process: What actions will achieve our outcome? Step 6 – Calibration

Chapter Summary

16 THE F WORD

The Biological Role of Fear

When fear leads to patterns

How to Build Confidence

Principle one: Reward effort and process Principle two: Permission to be human Principle three: Progressive exposure Principle four: It’s not that bad Principle five: Harness your psychological immune system Principle six: Compare you to you Principle seven: Set a clear ‘win’ or ‘development’ agenda

Chapter Summary

PART 4 EMOTIONAL CONTROL 17 IT’S A HEAD GAME

The Three Brains

The unconscious brain The frontal brain The emotional brain

Flicking the Switch: Performance Routines Chapter Summary

18 FLICKING THE SWITCH

The Four Zones

Blue head Red head Black head Green head

A Platform for Common Language Chapter Summary

19 EMOTIONAL CONTROL ROUTINES

On Switch: Green to blue Off Switch: Blue to Green Control Switch: Red to Blue Chapter Summary

20 BUILDING PERFORMANCE ROUTINES

Distraction Countdowns Break it Down with Logic

Option one: Rationalize the emotion Option two: Predict the future Option three: Putting things into perspective

Venting Narrow the Problem

Option one: Naming the challenge Option two: Break it down Option three: Reducing the demands Option four: Shortening the time frame

Hit Mute Find the Flip Reframe the Challenge Cue Words Visualization

Key point one: Visualize the race, not just the finish line Key point two: The more senses involved, the better

Behave to Become Music, Prayer, Story or Conversation

Music for energy Music for focus Music for relaxation Story for decompression Prayer for positivity Conversations for inspiration

Pick a Focal Point Adopt an Alter Ego Self-Talk Grounding Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) Mindfulness Change your Internal Representations Physical Reset Breathe

One: parasympathetic breathing Two: the sigh Three: breath breather Four: the activation breath

Power Posing Chapter Summary

PART 5 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 21 POST SUMMIT PERIL

The Challenge Success Brings

Bias one: The illusion of continuity Bias two: The illusion of personal control

When Complacency Sets In The Demand Capacity Deficit Chapter Summary

22 WIN THE DAY

The Winning Day Morning Routine

Wake time Sunlight Personal administration Accumulate small wins Hydrate Fuel Getting dressed

Pre-Performance Transition Performance

Prioritize high-value activity Schedule green head Optimizing workspace Identify value and eliminate waste Lunch The afternoon performance Batching Physical exercise Reflection

Post-Performance Transition Evening Routine

One: arriving home Scheduling green head activities Fuel Sleep

Chapter Summary

23 AUTOMATING EXCELLENCE

Step One: Cue Step Two: Routine Step Three: Reward Cues

Building positive habits Eliminating negative habits

Routines

Building positive habits Eliminating negative habits

Rewards

Building positive habits Eliminating bad habits Planning

Chapter Summary

24 INNOVATION

Principle One: Establish Your Vision Principle Two: Understand Reality

Solutions should fall in our laps Track trajectory Never trust success

Principle Three: Have a Clear Target to Aim At Principle Four: Experimentation

Step one: plan Step two: do it Step three: check Step four: adapt Iteration

Chapter Summary

CONCLUSION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS BIBLIOGRAPHY

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