The 4 Keys to Being a Top Performer

What characteristics make the difference between top performers and average performers? One difference is that top performers are expert leaders that make it to the top of their professions. It is the top performers who are essentially on stage, performing in front of thousands of employees, customers and other stakeholders. How do top performers achieve and maintain a level of prominence. The four keys to being a top performer include talent, ambition, instruction and feedback.

In any field, talent is the starting point. But individuals with great talent will only progress so far without mastering their domain of expertise. This is directed at the knowledge and technique to achieve the desired results. The talent must be honed on the practice field until you reach the level of top performer. I think of Michael Jordan as an example of relentlessly honing his talent through practice to develop the techniques to become one of the most prominent basketball players in the world. Architects have studios as their practice field while pilots have simulations for practice. It is with practice that leaders master the skills of communication, listening, self-awareness and the ability to resolve disputes.

Ambition is necessary to sustain the level of performance and the dedication necessary to continue to improve as a leader. It is the desire for accomplishment that propels the average leader to continue to make progress to attain the level of a top performer. It has been documented through research that it takes ten years of practice to achieve the level of expert in most fields. This within itself creates a situation where it is not likely to progressively jump from beginner to expert in a short period of time. This is why ambition is so important to attaining the top performer level. The challenge for great leaders is to find new genres to perfect once they have already reached a level of success. This is the upward motion that propels an average leader to a top performer.

Leaders who achieve prominence routinely seek out the best instructors they can find. Instruction is probably the most familiar ingredient of leadership within organizations. Businesses spend billions annually on leadership training. The skill of instruction required for top performers is rarely available to beginning managers. This is the most challenging obstacle for young leaders to overcome as executive coaches are expensive and usually reserved for upper managers. The ambition of a young leader will direct them to develop a master group of mentors that have attained a level of success. It is this group that will provide the instruction necessary when the young leader doesn't have access to such resources.

To make satisfactory progress, the top performer must receive feedback. The feedback enables a performer to adjust, change and improve their results. To the young leader, getting the proper feedback is critical to the learning process. This provides the measurement of progress as the leader attempts to move their skills to a higher level. This feedback can take various forms such as the 360 degree performance appraisal, balanced scorecards and employee surveys.

When a leader has a plan that pulls together the talent, ambition, instruction and feedback, they can begin the journey from novice to top performer. This plan will uncover the patterns of activity that will lead to the achievement of success worthy of top performers. It is the personal learning strategy that enhances a person's alertness to new opportunities to be a better leader. Once the leader is aware of the way they learn, they see opportunities for leading all around them. Leaders reach the top performer status by learning from the challenges that life continually deals them. It is the concept of deliberate practice that connects the learning with the top performance.