Performance Mindset – What Is It? And How Can You Use It?

When we think of performance, we typically think about how we perform in our jobs or careers. - How we perform, how our business performs, or even how our products or services perform. It’s typically our role(s) in our career that we think about performance (unless you are an athlete, then you think about performance a different way). However, performance is important in any role we have – as a parent, spouse, partner, community leader, business owner, employee, employer, and so on.

There is a mindset that covers all of those roles. It’s the Performance Mindset. This is a mindset where you actually care and are concerned about how you are performing in whatever role you are in. This is truly a growth mindset

Sometimes we go through life and we get comfortable. We settle in and stay in our comfort zone. We don’t care to learn anything new, do anything differently, or take any risks. We are content where we are. This is a Fixed Mindset and will not allow for a true Performance Mindset. If we are content to stay at the place and level where we are, we really don’t care about our performance, as long as we can stay where we are – no more or no less effort. Do you see how this is a fixed mindset? Exerting any effort can result in either progressing to the next level or failing. Either way is well out of your comfort zone. To me, that is the antithesis of a Performance Mindset.

“You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself.”Zig Ziglar

You see, a Performance Mindset is much more than caring and performing at your best. It goes much deeper than that. It has to do with how you see yourself and the world around you. It has to do with your passion for life. A Growth Mindset says that you want to continuously grow, learn more, and improve. A Performance Mindset is a Growth Mindset, and it is also one in which you have a passion for doing your best, not only for yourself, but for the world around you — your business, employees, family, friends, and community. When you live like that, you can only perform at your peak. It is a way of life.

Don’t get me wrong, you can be really good at something, and be someone who could care less for anyone else, or someone who has little passion for life. You can be really good at something and not have a Performance Mindset. You can master something and still have a fixed mindset. You’ll only do what you are good at and shy away from what you are not. You won’t let yourself get out of your comfort zone.

One of my favorite takeaways from Tony Robbins was when he said that humans are like plants. When they stop growing, they die. When we stop growing – stop learning, stop improving, stop helping others, stop experiencing new things, …—we die inside. Again, someone with a Fixed Mindset, no matter how good they may be at certain things, is dying inside. Someone with a Performance Mindset is always growing in many ways.

So you don’t have to have a Performance Mindset to be good at things. However, if you do have a Performance Mindset, you will always strive to be your best and continually grow so you can do so. It’s not hard. Your mindset will keep you wanting to thrive and you will wake up each day asking yourself, “I wonder what I can tackle today?”

If you want more information on creating a Performance Mindset for yourself, email me at kevin@poseffects.com.