How to Shine E-Book

Simon Hartley

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 257

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

FIX YOUR MINDSET AND UNLEASH YOUR TALENT

Simon Hartley spent many years working with world class athletes and helping them to new levels of achievement. Then he got wondering: What is it that enables some people to develop their talent in a more impactful way than others? What differentiates the winners from those who almost made it? And how can we be world class in our chosen fields?

How To Shine is more than just a window into the world of winning. It’s the distillation of all Simon has learned from talking to and coaching some of the world’s top success stories, from Premiership footballers and Olympiads to champions of business. It’s a practical, step by step guide to honing skills which are as vital in the office as they are on the athletics track and truly shining in your field.

Includes:

• Practical, life-affirming tips
• Insights into the winning mentality from sportsmen, coaches, Michelin starred chefs and scientists
• How to develop skills which will enable you to be a genuine leader in your field

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Endorsements

Title page

Copyright page

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 Have A Dream

Dreaming is not Enough!

A Strong Reason

The Power of Passion

Passion vs Need

What’s Your Reason?

Aligning Dreams and Passion

The Power of Love

Summary

2 Focus On The Next Step

Strategy, Tactics and Execution

The Answer is Right in Front of You!

Do World-Class People Set Goals?

Be in ‘the Moment’

Fall in Love With the Process

All Journeys are Taken one Step at a Time

Summary

3 Keep It Simple

Sometimes Less is More

The Power of Simplicity

Do the Basics VERY Well

Two Lengths of the Pool

Simplicity and Effectiveness

Summary

4 Don’t Compromise

It All Comes Down to Choice

The Core Purpose

There are Always Some Compromises

Don’t Compromise Quality

Tiny Things Make a Big Difference

Attending to the Details Requires Effort!

Details and Confidence

Understanding the Critical Details

Being Aware of the Details

It Does not Happen by Accident

Summary

5 Push The Envelope

Into the Unknown!

Prepare to Fail

Failure – the Catalyst for Success

Mistakes Provide Focus and Motivation

Mistakes Provide Confidence

It Tastes Bad . . . but Does you Good

Uncertainty is One Thing You Can Count on

Where are the Boundaries Anyway?

Courage

‘I Have Failed Far More Times Than I Have Succeeded’

Summary

6 Be Mentally Tough

What is Mental Toughness?

It’s Not Just Physical

How is Toughness Developed?

Is It Really a Brick Wall?

Why do They Push so Hard?

Where is the Limit?

Summary

7 Take Responsibility, Take Control

It is Central to Performance

Responsibility and Learning

Ego Gets in the Way

Don’t Leave It to Chance

When We Blame, We Relinquish Control

Summary

8 Be Yourself

The Foundation of Passion

The Power of Passion

Ask the Tough Questions . . . of Ourselves

We Must Push Ourselves

Self-Belief Comes From . . . ?

Being Authentic

What’s the Real Reason?

The Trapdoor

Throw Yourself into It

All These Words Start With ‘Self’

Where is the Limit Really?

Back to Our Foundations

In My Experience

Summary

9 Be The Best You Can Be

Talent and Luck

An Alternative View

The ‘Why’

Enthusiasm vs Passion

The Next One Per Cent

Are You Scott or Amundsen?

Your Next One Per Cent

Is Failing Really Failure?

What is Success?

Self-Knowledge

Bibliography

About Simon Hartley

Index

“How To Shine by Simon Hartley is a ‘must-read’ for anyone who wishes to become exceptional in their own field. Building upon some of the arguments outlined in recent books such as Bounce and The Talent Code the author explores the experiences and beliefs of world class performers from a diverse range of careers and disciplines to discover what is it that makes them become the very best at what they do.

It reveals the characteristics of the pathway to expertise and the attributes of those prepared to start, struggle and succeed along the journey. Strongly supported by theory and the author’s own professional reflection, How To Shine allows the ‘stars’ of the book to tell their own story in their own words and the lessons learnt are inspiring, and more importantly, applicable to us all.”

Gareth Long, Senior Lecturer, Sports Coaching and Physical Education, University College Plymouth, St Mark and St John

“In this book Simon Hartley invites you to join his quest to find how ordinary people become outstanding. Along the way you’ll discover that none of the people who helped Simon with his quest started from the same place or time in life, with the same level of skill or ability. Some fell upon their future by chance while others were late in life before they found their dream and what fuelled it.

The diversity of people and their ordinariness and the roads they take makes compelling reading and the gem in all their stories is the refreshingly simple common truths they come up, the small subtleties that make that vast difference. More importantly you can apply them to your own life and see the differences, I know because I have and I’m way past the spring of youth. This is one of the best books you will ever read.”

Richard Bosworth, Managing Director of the What If? Forum

“A fascinating insight into what makes people exceptional. It’s amazing to see how other world class performers think, the choices they make and those tiny things that make such a big difference. It’s also interesting to know that these incredible people came from modest backgrounds, just as I did. I see lots of parallels to my own journey”

Dave Pearson, World Cup Rugby Union Referee

“There’s a valuable and elusive middle-ground to be found between the rigour of laboratory studies and the allure of anecdotal stories, and Simon Hartley has found it. How To Shine is a masterful distillation of evidence drawn from the lived experiences of exceptional performers – each representing a very different domain of human achievement.

From a wealth of carefully-collated evidence, the author has found a way to discern patterns, to explore surprises and to integrate new insights with existing scholarship. All this has been achieved with an admirable lightness of touch and clarity of expression that will make this book attractive to all readers – from the airport-bookstore browser to the jaded academic. A remarkable achievement.”

Professor Barry Hymer, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Cumbria

“I found this book fascinating and extremely informative. In my role I am constantly asking myself, ‘how long do you give potential?’ This book re-affirms and highlights the attributes and behaviours of top performers and is an invaluable tool for talent identification.”

Martyn Moxon, Director of Cricket, Yorkshire County Cricket Club

“Simon Hartley has achieved something here that is much spoken about but rarely seen in practice. He has allowed the stories of some exceptional people to shine through so we can simultaneously see their individuality and shared humanity – something that tells us that being ourselves can never be at the expense of others. This is about an ethical guide to personal excellence that society should nurture for itself and its citizens. More about a way of being than a way of having, and yet something that speaks to us all no matter our circumstances in life.”

Mark Nesti, Reader of Psychology in Sport, Liverpool John Moores University

“The beauty of this book lies in its accessibility. Many peak personal performance titles centre around the seemingly unobtainable lifestyles and successes of globally renowned figures. In How To Shine it’s much easier to relate to the everyday world class individuals we read about, and in turn understand how we can apply their recipes for success to our own personal situations. A fantastic read!”

Justin Perkins, Managing Director of The Professionals Partnership

This edition first published 2012

© 2012 Simon Hartley

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hartley, Simon.

 How to shine : insights into unlocking your potential from proven winners / Simon Hartley.

p. cm.

 Includes bibliographical references and index.

 ISBN 978-0-857-08358-6 (pbk.) – ISBN 978-0-857-08359-3 (ebk) – ISBN 978-0-857-08361-6 (ebk) – ISBN 978-0-857-08360-9 (ebk) 1. Success. 2. Success in business. 3. Self-confidence. 4. Self-management (Psychology) I. Title.

 BF637.S8H3328 2012

 650.1–dc23

2012024369

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-0-857-08358-6 (paperback) ISBN 978-0-857-08360-9 (ebk)

ISBN 978-0-857-08361-6 (ebk) ISBN 978-0-857-08359-3 (ebk)

Cover design – Binary & The Brain

Foreword

I have spent my business career seeking to build and develop great teams which can focus and organize themselves to achieve outstanding results. I have been a member of great teams and have seen in those teams extraordinary performers who appear to shine and by doing so illuminate the performance and motivation of the whole team. Those individuals are the gold dust, the glitter which catalyzes a very good team to produce a unit able to produce consistently exceptional results. When I see someone who shines I can recognize the talent and appreciate that I have to nurture the individual and their talent as they will raise the performance of my whole business. In my own amateur and unsystematic way, I have sought to understand what it is that makes these people shine, why and how they can perform consistently to the highest level and provide a benchmark for others to aspire to.

In my bid to understand how to develop and support world class performers, I want to know what sets the truly exceptional apart from the very good because, in today’s massively competitive world, to be only very good is to be invisible. An individual, team or organization only achieves true strength from being the best, demonstrating quality, defining and applying excellence in all areas. Some individuals appear to be able to do just that. But if we can identify the truly outstanding performers – the people who really do shine – a series of questions then raise themselves. What is it that actually sets the exceptional performers apart? How do we recognize real talent, identify those who have the ability and desire to be the best? Those who have the focus and determination to create excellence? If we can identify these outstanding individuals – or those destined to become exceptional – how can we support their development and help them to continue to develop their outstanding performance?

The first question usually asked in this regard is whether it is nature or nurture which encourages individuals to become extraordinary achievers? Are extraordinary people born gifted or can you learn what it takes to achieve extraordinary results? Or is it luck? The right place at the right time? Or is it a mixture of all of these things? Are extreme high achievers driven to escape their surroundings or are they striving to reach a goal?

This book sets out to explore and provide answers to some of those questions as they apply to world class performers from a range of backgrounds, professions and activities – commercial, professional and sporting. In discussing and exploring the views and experiences of world class performers the author exposes the reader to the reasoning and philosophy of those who shine, who achieve world records and extraordinary success. The reader is invited to share their world, looking from the inside out and understanding, from their perspective, what differentiates extreme high achievers. What exactly are they chasing and what is it which motivates them to succeed, to reach the goal or to fight through difficulties and challenges. What role does personal energy and passion play? Does passion create energy, or the other way around, and is this enough to focus performance and achieve the result?

By investigating the reasons why those who shine believe they have been able to achieve world class performance and then by analysing their behaviour and beliefs the author is able to contrast the different viewpoint of the performer and the observer. By seeking trends, consistencies and shared beliefs and values we are given the opportunity to resolve the forces acting on these individuals and identify reasons why they have been able to achieve astonishing results.

If you want to understand how ordinary people can appreciate and respect the anticipated boundary of their own performance and then consistently surpass that boundary to achieve extraordinary results time after time then this book is for you.

Kevin Gaskell, former Managing Director of Porsche and BMW

Preface

For many years I have had the great pleasure of working with world-class athletes and sports teams. Watching them live and work has raised questions in my mind. What is it that makes some people exceptional? What differentiates them from the ones who almost made it? These questions have intrigued me for years. At the turn of the year, I decided to interview a group of world-class people from a diverse range of fields. My rationale was pretty simple. If there are traits that are common to world-class chefs, mountaineers, baristas, athletes, polar explorers, special-forces personnel and scientists, those traits are likely to cross into any domain; in business and in life.

As a sport psychologist and performance coach, I have read many books that also set out to understand what differentiates the very best. However, a lot of these books didn’t really get under the skin and help me understand the insights, experiences and perspectives of world-class people. I want to know how these people think, how they make their decisions, how they approach situations and respond to the challenges that they encounter.

Therefore, the approach taken in this book is quite different from the majority of sport psychology, personal development or business performance publications. It is based on the thoughts, opinions and experiences of a diverse range of people who have reached the very pinnacle of their fields. It focuses heavily on lived experiences, rather than being driven by theory. An insight into lived experience is often more tangible and easier to apply. The experiences of these particular people are also hugely inspirational.

As I have written this book, I have made a conscious effort to present the accounts of these incredible people in quite a raw state and, where possible, to let you read their words. One of those interviewed is a twice Michelin-starred chef. He talks about the need to let the ingredients speak for themselves and not to interfere too much. I have tried to follow that philosophy myself.

I truly hope that you find the material as valuable and inspiring as I have. The process and journey that I have taken, whilst writing this book, has been amazing. I have worked alongside many world-class athletes over the last 15 years and learned a huge amount from them. However, I could never have imagined just how much I would learn from those I interviewed. Their insights have taught me more than I could dare to have dreamed. I have learned an incredible amount and I hope that you do too.