Want to have a sustainable career? Get to grips with the High Performance v High Achievement distinction.

“The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. They are the best because they know they will lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it. You move on, adapt and grow, and work smarter.” Roger Federer

Last week, I facilitated a heated debate about performance in the context of succession planning. This team was inspired by how Olympic athletes demonstrated peak performance and were discussing to apply this in a career context.

It’s a familiar discussion.

And if you’re a regular reader, you’ll know how much I love elite athletes!

Our discussion came down to the distinction between “High Performance” and “Over Achievement” which I think is crucial in the context of both talent and career management. ?

True high performance is sustainable. It’s not about the single key career highlight which everyone dines out on. Instead, it is underpinned by an inner dialogue of “we got this” which translates into getting the job done by being adequately resourced with the budget, team, personal perspective and wellbeing needed to do it.

High performers recognise the inner game and hold themselves to account, recognising success along the way. They take feedback seriously and go within to do deep work on themselves for continuous improvement time and time again.

Borrowing from elite athletes, it involves commitment to mindset, rest, sleep, hydration and nutrition as well as delivery. It’s not surprising many high performing executives are also keen golfers or runners or yoginis! ?It’s the holistic approach that creates the longevity.

Over-achieving is temporary. Its the classic "going the extra mile" at a moment in time. But, at their core, an over-achiever believes that their success is borrowed or not fully theirs, and an underlying anxiety or imposter syndrome take hold especially when the achievement is not replicated within quick succession. These may or may not be initially visible so it can look like high performance.?

When we pay attention to language, over-achievement sounds like pushing hard or “sleep when you’re dead” and there's an energy of striving to keep up. That can be keeping up with an expectation of ourselves, or the scale of the task. It can lead to an over-identification with the task, or the career or goal. An achievement mindset speaks in terms of “when and then” … when I deliver the report, then I’ll take a holiday. When we get to the top, then we will celebrate etc. There’s never enough time. ??

When a “when and then” mindset is present, those broader factors for sustained success over time get ignored. Recognising milestones along the way, staying in good physical shape, showing up in relationships etc get sacrificed in pursuit of the goal.

This level of commitment is often celebrated in companies but the truth is that often nobody recognises (or cares) about the personal price.?

We can move between the two types of performance.

Over-achievers with the right support (coach, spouse, mentor) and commitment to broader factors for success can develop the habits and mindset for sustained performance over time.?

This may appear like slowing down, but it ultimately accelerates your effectiveness and your career and it de-risks other factors like burnout, dissatisfaction and stress.

Likewise, high performers can lose sight of the fact that life is bigger than the job and may need to course-correct. This was the trap I fell into.

Remember this.

When the big jobs come along, it’s not only about demonstrating whether you can deliver a larger remit. It’s about whether you can navigate complexity, lead others, take feedback, course correct, do better and not lose your sense of self.

Let's give the last word to Roger Federer (who holds 103 singles tennis titles (including 8 time Wimbledon champion) and was world #1 was 310 weeks) and knows a thing or two about sustainable high performance!

“Even top-ranking tennis players lose every second point on average. Every tournament ends the same way. One player gets the trophy. Everyone else gets back on the plane wondering “how did I miss the shot?” When you lose almost every second point you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself that “it’s only a point.” Roger Federer

If you would like to discuss how you measure performance, please contact me on [email protected]

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