What's Holding You Back From Top Performance?

What's keeping you from becoming a top performer? Throughout my study of top performance, I realized there is one thing holding everyone back from achieving their best in life and business. After narrowing it down, it comes to one pivotal aspect that prevents people from progressing.

When I was younger, I played baseball, and my dad was the pitching coach. Whenever a pitcher was struggling—whether they threw a bad pitch or gave up a good hit—it was hard for them to bounce back. Often, the next several pitches were also bad. My dad would walk out to the mound, have a conversation, and then suddenly, the pitcher’s performance would improve.

Years later, I asked my dad what he said to those pitchers when they were struggling. His answer was incredible. He simply asked, “What’s your favorite treat?” The pitcher would be confused—what did that have to do with the game? After getting an answer, like "ice cream" or "candy bar," my dad would say, “Strike out the next three batters, and I’ll buy you that candy bar.” He would then leave the mound.

And just like that, their focus and perception changed.

The leading cause that holds people back from top performance is pessimism. Pessimism is rooted in our negativity bias, where bad experiences have a greater impact on our psychological state than positive ones. When a pitcher threw a bad pitch, that negative experience triggered a cycle. The next time they were on the mound, fear from the previous experience would set in, leading to poor performance and complacency. They weren’t improving—they were just going through the motions.

But my dad shifted their perspective, helping them move past the negativity by focusing on something positive.

Top performers approach adversity differently. When things go wrong, they ask, “How can this be the best outcome for my future?” For those pitchers, the best outcome was to strike out the next three batters and get their treat.

Within your business, where are you being pessimistic? Where are your employees falling short, and how is that affecting their motivation? When employees get trapped in a cycle of complacency due to fear of past negative events, studies show they spend up to two hours a day in that state. If you have an employee making $18 an hour, pessimism could be costing you over $9,000 per year for each employee! That’s a huge hidden cost to your business.

To become a top performer, you need to consciously choose optimism. You’re either unconsciously being pessimistic or your consciously choosing to be optimistic. The choice is yours. Create a culture that shifts negativity into a positive event for the future, just like my dad did for those pitchers.

If you want more tips on how to improve your agency’s culture and be on the road to top performance, let’s connect for a call. Comment the word “coach,” and we’ll get in touch.