3 tips for recognising were you go 'a, b ___ then leap to ___ z'

Peak performers see the destination quickly. The architect walks onto a site and visualises the finished house. The footballer sees the defence-splitting pass that will create a goal. The counsellor greets the troubled child and knows how they want the child to be feeling after their conversation. When entering the situation in which they excel, peak performers quickly see the picture of perfection. They go ‘a, b ___ then leap to ___ z’. Let’s explore where you have this ability.

1) You can clarify where you quickly go ‘a, b ___ z’.

Everybody has a place where they think strategically and quickly see the solution. The MD of a High Street chain explained: “I love retail. Put me in any shop anywhere in the world and I show how it can make better profits. My wife thinks I am crazy, because on Sundays I want to take her shopping. Every Saturday morning I went shopping with my mother. I remember gazing at the fishmonger’s shop and, in my mind’s-eye, imagining how it could be rearranged. Now I do that for a living.” Where does this happen for you? Depending on your natural talent, you may quickly see the destination when fixing a car engine, solving a financial problem, designing a workshop or whatever. Try tackling the exercise on this theme and complete the following sentence.

The specific situation in which I go

‘a, b ___ and then leap to ___ z’ is:

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2) You can clarify what you do right to actually deliver ‘z’.

Peak performers are often intuitive. Asked to explain their technique, they reply: “I just do it.” A gifted sales-person, for example, may start by imagining what they want the customer to be saying, thinking and feeling when leaving the shop. For instance: “The sales-person really listened to me. They found out what I wanted and offered several options. Nothing was too much trouble. I got what I wanted and will recommend the shop to friends.” The sales-person will approach the customer, quickly try several different strategies and see what works. They will then do whatever is required to ensure the customer is satisfied when they leave the shop. Every achiever has their individual approach to delivering ‘z’. Going beyond the “I just do it,” explanation, however, many go through the following phases.

a) Preparation.

Because they are fascinated by the subject, they rehearse many potential scenarios. They have what Arie De Geus called ‘a memory of the future’. When preparing for a particular assignment, they ‘practice until they can forget’. Before entering the ‘arena’, they relax, re-centre and refocus.

b) Professionalism.

Going into the situation, they feel alive and alert. Using their ‘antennae’, they scan what is happening and look for patterns. Seeing the desired goal, they clarify their strategy. Putting their plan into action, they keep doing the right things in the right way until they reach their goal.

c) Peak performance.

“Sometimes I win games by producing 8/10,” said one tennis player. “Other times I must play to my full potential and produce 10/10.” Achievers sometimes also add that ‘touch of class’ and do something special to deliver the goods. How do you reach the goal? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I do to actually deliver ‘z’ are:

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3) You can put yourself into more situations where you quickly see ‘z’.

Wayne Gretzky, the greatest ice-hockey goal scorer in North American history, was once asked: “What is the secret behind why you score so many goals?” His reply was: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Gretzky aimed: ‘to skate to the part of the rink where the puck will appear.’ Geniuses have this sixth sense: they know what is going to happen before it happens. Keep putting yourself into situations where this happens for you, because this is where you have natural genius. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to put myself into
more situations where I quickly see ‘z’ are

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