True optimal performance goes beyond just skill. It’s all about THE ATTRIBUTES.

"The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance" by Rich Diviney is a book that explores the essential qualities and attributes that contribute to peak performance in various aspects of life. Rich Diviney is a retired Navy SEAL commander. During his time in the Navy, he was involved in the SEAL selection process and was often surprised by which candidates couldn’t make it and which succeeded. Some could have all the right skills and still fail, while others he might have initially dismissed would prove to be top performers. He developed the idea of Attributes, after realizing that assessing for skills was not useful. In his book, he discusses the difference between Skills and Attributes: Skills could be taught; they are the way most people measure the world, how they assess competence, how they determine which person belongs on which team and in what role. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just not enough. A team built on skills will be great when everything goes as planned. Which is never. And that’s when attributes matter the most. Attributes are more inherent and those qualities that inform a person’s behavior under conditions of Uncertainty, Challenge, and Stress.

In his book, Rich Diviney has broken the 25 attributes of optimal performance into five different categories: Grit, Mental Acuity, Drive, Leadership, and Teamability.? Through real-world anecdotes, practical insights, and scientific research, Diviney delves into each attribute, explaining how they can be developed and applied to achieve optimal performance.

1.?????? Grit?–?Put simply, your ability and willingness to step outside your comfort zone is evidence of grit. There are four attributes under the umbrella of grit: COURAGE, ?PERSEVERANCE, ADAPTABILITY, and RESILIENCE. He also references Angela Duckworth's book GRIT here.

2.?????? Mental Acuity?– Rich Diviney deconstructed mental acuity into four key attributes: SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, COMPARTMENTALIZATION, TASK SWITCHING, and LEARNABILITY.

3.?????? Drive?– ?How driven we are can be determined by five main attributes: SELF-EFFICACY, DISCIPLINE, OPEN-MINDEDNESS, CUNNING, and NARCISSISM. None of them creates drive. Rather, these are the attributes that contribute to drive, from getting started to following through.

It might seem odd that cunning and narcissism, two typically negative behavioral traits, are even on the list. But he does well in explaining that these qualities are simply human and a healthy level of those qualities is necessary to help us to thrive.

4.?????? Leadership?– ?which includes the attributes of?EMPATHY, SELFLESSNESS, AUTHENTICITY, DECISIVENESS, and ACCOUNTABILITY.

5.?????? Teamability?– Trust is not an attribute. It’s a belief. In the context of teams, it’s a belief that the other members will do their jobs, that they will support one another, and that they will maintain the cohesion of the group.? The next four attributes – INTEGRITY, CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, HUMILITY, and HUMOR – inform behavior that encourages trust.