Once I met with William Namol, the number one salesman of a large insurance company. He told me that as an ambitious young man, he was baffled by the enormous differences in sales between the top performers and average sales people. He asked his sales manager, Abe Miller (called “coach“ because of his talent for getting the best from his sales staff) to help him understand the secrets of peak performance.

Conversation with Coach

The conversation went like this.

“Why do some people excel and others excuse themselves?“

“All salesmen rely on two advisors: 1) the motivator who offers advice that is bold and exciting; and 2) the troubleshooter who is more cautious, even pessimistic, but persuasive. Your sales potential is based on your assessment of the relative value of the advice of your two advisors.

“Should I always follow the advice of the motivator who will pump me up and prepare me to conquer the world?“

“If you do, what might happen?“

“I will probably stay motivated for a while, but I know that in a world filled with rejection, competition, interruptions, and complications, I may get discouraged. Their advice conflicts, and yet both advisors can be correct. Which should I listen to?”

“Both of them.“

“I don’t understand.“

“People who listen only to the first advisor become motivated and get a glimpse of the upper limits of their potential, but they never reach those upper limits; instead, they reach a comfort zone, a plateau.”

“Why is that?“

“Because they don’t heed the second advisor. They never learn how to thrive in the jungle. In the hardest times, peak performers learn the most important lessons. They develop ways of expanding their comfort zones and removing the impediments to high performance. When you learn to trust your own feelings, as well as benefit from the mentoring of your two advisors, you will have all you need to perform at your peak level.“

“So, peak performers set their sights high—beyond their present best—and believe in their ability to make major increases over previous levels of performance and productivity?”

“Yes, and they benefit from the wisdom of the second advisor. They know things can and will get rough. But they learn to be more effective and efficient, more comfortable with risk and feedback, and better able to revise plans and correct their course.“

“Okay. I must believe in myself and learn from both advisors to avoid getting stuck in a comfort zone or buried alive on the job.“

“Yes, and there is one more thing: Keep the two advisors—the motivator and the troubleshooter—by your side and listen to them frequently. Through the power of personal initiative, you can change things for the better. You can achieve in spite of your faults by making commitments and acting out of your positive beliefs and feelings. Know that never to attempt peak performance is to court hopelessness. To be pessimistic about your potential or suspicious of others who try for excellence is to prevent yourself and others from achieving their goals. Despair is common, even fashionable in some circles, and it’s easy to dismiss or ridicule the challenge of excellence. After all, nothing is more difficult or painful than to look clearly at your own wasted potential and then start doing something about it.“

“Thanks, coach. I’m lucky to have you as my coach. Without a mentor, the task appears impossible.”

“You’re half right. A mentor, a peak performer who will take the time to train you, is a great asset. But you must avoid the trap of always looking outside yourself for the answer, for the magic ingredient that will transform you into a superachiever. You must learn to trust your own ideas and capabilities. When you learn to trust your own feelings as well as benefit from the mentoring of your two advisors, you will have all you need to perform at your peak level.“

Reflecting on Coaching

Years later, William Namol reflected on his early conversations with Coach Miller. He realized how crucial they were in his development as one of his industry’s best salesmen and, later, sales managers. Rather than give up, settle for a shallow existence or mediocre achievement, he had committed himself to peak performance. Many of his colleagues were just as talented, but they lacked something. They lacked the ability to walk on the brink of the abyss and keep their footing, to fly to the edge of the known territory and keep their wits, to function coolly and effectively under stress. They lacked the skills of peak performance.

Namol realized that peak performers work with their hands, their heads, and their hearts. He called them artists. They are committed to a mission and to living that mission. Over time, they discover and develop the skills of peak performance. They understand that a passionate sense of mission is essential: that the hands and head without the heart are nothing.

The drive toward peak performance begins with two basic needs: 1) the need to be unique, to stand out, to be a champion, an innovator; and 2) the need to be part of a team, an organization, something larger than one’s self, a symbol of immortality. The best use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. SME

Charles Garfield is founder and president of the Peak Performance Institute and author of several books, including Peak Performers: New Heroes of American Business and Peak Performance: Mental Training Techniques of the World’s Greatest Athletes. (Avon Books). 510-272-9500.

ACTION: In your managing and mentoring, determine how you will coach peak performance.