'Vision precedes victory' - life advice from a high-performance coach
Christchurch-based global leadership expert James Laughlin shares what he's learnt from elite athletes and powerful entrepreneurs in a new book.
We're not all cut out to be high performers, but people who excel can teach us all a thing or two about getting the life we want, says James Laughlin, host of the popular Lead on Purpose podcast.
Laughlin, who moved to New Zealand from Ireland 20 years ago, released his new book Habits of High Performers in August. Even armed with expert information on achieving excellence, he says he still goes through the usual ups and downs of life.
"It's been a full-on month or two with the launch of the book… so I take my MEDS a lot more so now than ever - that's meditation, exercise, diet and sleep," he tells Saturday Morning.
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'Women don't get a seat at the table as easily as men'
A lot of men might not like hearing it, Laughlin says, but he's seen that high-performing women have had to work "significantly harder" to attain their goals.
"They say there's often this need to prove themselves or to prove others wrong."
Unfairly, the world is still "balanced towards men," says Laughlin, and it's our role collectively to "make sure everyone gets an opportunity to get a seat at the table".
"I feel like our world needs to embrace the fact that gender roles have changed and need to change, and we all have to muck in and make it work.
"From what I see around me, men are needing to step in and do more and share the load with the simple things like childcare, laundry, dishes, cooking. It's not fully changing, but we will hopefully see change."
'High performers are radically clear on what success looks like to them'
American athlete Anthony Trucks is a great example of a high performer who definitely wasn't born with a silver spoon, James Laughlin says.
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Everyone can be a high performer in parts of their lives, Laughlin believes, such as a high-performing parent or partner.
A high-performance sportsperson or businessperson, though, is someone "achieving consistently above the norms whilst maintaining healthy relationships and well-being", he says.
Not everyone is cut out for this "uncomfortable" life in which you're always leaning forward and always moving, though.
Those who are motivated by a deep hunger for success are often not born into great circumstances, Laughlin has found.
"A lot of the people I've interviewed started with very little, and they went to regular old schools and they fought for success."
American athlete Anthony Trucks, who had a "horrific" upbringing and almost ended his life before getting into sports, is a good example, he says.
"[Trucks] became a star as a linebacker in the NFL and went on to become an American Ninja Warrior champion. He's a great example that you don't have to be born into the silver spoon."
While most of us struggle with knowing exactly what it is that we want, high performers insist on making time for WMI - What's Most Important to them, Laughlin says.
"High performers are radically clear on what success looks like to them."
How to get "radical clarity"
Laughlin recommends daily journaling - writing about your values and goals - as a way to "get it out of your head and onto the page".
"I started journaling in my mid-20s, and it was right around the time of the Christchurch earthquakes. I was kind of lost in terms of career direction, where I was headed... That really helped me get clear."
As a parent, he understands that most people often have to juggle more than one activity at a time, but "the really important work that you want to do professionally" needs our full attention, he says.
"It's about us knowing what our priorities are and focusing on those."
Neuroscience has proven that none of us is truly capable of multitasking, he says.
"When you think you're multitasking, you're actually task-switching. You're switching quickly between two tasks, and therefore not performing either with full focus.
"Monotasking is the new cool. Neuroscience has proven that when we focus on one thing deeply and go into a state of deep work, we achieve a sense of flow, and therefore, our results will be better and more consistent."
Be kind to yourself
Most of us put a lot of pressure on ourselves to achieve in some way, Laughlin says, but we're not all going to do "world-winning things".
He does recommend every person take some time for self-enquiry about what matters most to them, though.
"What does success mean to me - not to the person next door, not to my colleague, but to me?'
"For many of us, it's about leaving a legacy of connection and presence with the people that matter most…
"Don't we need some slack people and some chilled-out and relaxed people to make the world balanced?"
