This is a difficult time, including in the workplace. It can feel hard to stay motivated and perform at your highest level. This was the topic of the presentation at our latest Torch Talk with Thresette Briggs.
Thresette is an award-winning Consultant, Professional Speaker, Trainer, and Coach. She hosted an inspiring talk and discussion about how to build a habit to evaluate and advance your own performance.
Especially during this time, Thresette explained how important it is to check in with yourself. “No matter what your industry, your race, your ethnicity, whether you’re an entrepreneur or you work with someone else. Now is the time to ask yourself, am I ready to perform at my highest level?”
Once you’ve decided you’re ready and are excited to commit yourself, you have to change your mindset. Here are some keys to developing a mindset for performing at your highest level:
Recognize “ism’s” that hold you back.
Thresette described “ism’s” as being some of the ways we question ourselves and hold ourselves back such as “perfectionism, ageism, and imposterism.”
The first step is to recognize the “ism’s” that hold you back. Thresette described her own experience with her “ism,” “perfectionism.”
“If I spoke 1000 works and messed up 2 words, I would feel horrible. I came to realize that perfectionism is about me, and excellence is about others. That’s what I should focus on,” Thresette explained.
When you’re in a crisis like we are now, you have to think about what will help others. not just yourself.
Once you’ve recognized your ism, remember the acronym ASK:
First, acknowledge your ism, then shift your ism, and then keep your positive “isms” at the top of your mind instead.
What is your “highest level?”
The next key to performing at your highest level is to define what that means to you. What is your definition of success and performing at a “high level?” What are the things you value? Don’t base your idea for success off of someone else’s ideas or expectations of you. If you don’t know what your highest level means to you, you won’t be able to achieve it.
It’s valuable to check in with yourself about how you are performing frequently, especially during a crisis. Thresette suggested that leaders should check in with themselves on if they’re working at their highest level quarterly right now.
