3 tips for becoming a class act

“They are a class act,” is a phrase used to describe somebody who consistently performs brilliantly - and also adds that touch of class. The footballer scores with a breathtaking volley; the singer produces a memorable encore; the ‘victor’ behaves generously; the ‘loser’ makes a gracious speech; the soldier behaves courageously in the heat of battle. Such people demonstrate grace under pressure.

Nelson Mandela turned away from violence and personally thanked his warders when leaving Robbins Island. Lady Maria Stubbs set the tone when taking over the school where Philip Lawrence was murdered. On her first day at St Georges, Westminster, she shook hands with every pupil. Tackling the challenge head-on, she worked with the staff and students to turn around the school. How can you become a class act? Here are three suggestions you may want to consider.

* You can clarify the specific activity in which you can become a class act.

Choose an activity in which you stand a chance of achieving 10/10. One football coach, for example, chose to become the outstanding head of a youth academy, rather than a highly paid club manager. “My skills are in helping talented young players to develop,” he said. “I am not suited to the roller-coaster pressures of getting weekly results and talking with the press. I prefer to produce a succession of young players who go on to become internationals.” What is the area in which you feel you can excel? Start by clarifying the specific activity in which you want to become – and feel you can become – a class act. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific activity in which I feel I can become a class act is:

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* You can perform brilliant work in this activity and add that touch of class.

Be super professional. Do everything possible to deliver success. Sometimes you may achieve your goal by adding a touch of class. Different people show class in different ways. Sometimes they do ‘something special’. Sometimes they find a solution that seems stunningly simple - but therein lies its magic. Looking back, can you think of a time when you added that ‘touch of class’? Perhaps it was when you had already completed a task, then added that little bit extra; or during a ‘critical’ moment - when you performed well under pressure. What did you do right then to do something special? Let’s return to the activity in which you want to become a class act. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to perform brilliant work – and add that touch of class – are:

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* You can look ahead and practice being a class act in difficult situations.

Sometimes you will hit problems that upset you personally. For example, you may suffer unfair personal criticism. How can you show grace under pressure? One approach is to buy time and ask yourself: “What would a class act do in this situation?” Then behave that way. Try the exercise on this theme. Looking ahead, think of an unsettling challenge. Consider what a great human being would do in this situation. Bearing this in mind, clarify how you can behave in that way. For example, be calm, kind and super creative. Maybe you won’t always ‘win’. But you will keep your dignity, be true to yourself and feel happier as a human being. That is the hallmark of a class act. Try completing the following sentences.

The potentially difficult situation would be:


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The things a class act would do in this situation would be:

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The things I can do to behave like a class act in this situation are:

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You can rise to the occasion by being calm, controlled and centered - then add that touch of class.