Peak Performance Newsletter #5 | Operating from Vision, Integrity with the Self, & Tapers
Hey all,
Autumn is nearly upon us! As a native upstate New Yorker, I've always loved autumn. I'm a sucker for stereotypical fall activities: apple picking, pumpkin carving, bonfires, hearty food, spiced drinks. I'm a big fan of the food & fashion in particular. I love the feeling they convey—the spirit of the harvest.
Many years ago I was introduced to the Danish concept of Hygge, "a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment." Think relaxing in a sauna, enjoying hearty food and drinks with friends around a fire, or the general vibe of the picture below. It's a beautiful concept to usher in the transition to colder months.
I hope you find your Hygge this autumn, whether that be through warm food and drink, a comfortable space, or loving relationships.
Onto the newsletter. Long one this week. I'm aware that it might be too long? Feedback welcome.
Operating from Vision
One of the more important skills to develop when stepping into leadership is the ability to create and present a vision. Lately I've enjoyed playing with this concept as a mode of being, what I call "Operating from Vision".
To operate from vision is to embody your vision for your life and the world as a way of life. It is to choose, whenever possible, to stay rooted in your vision for the world rather than getting sucked into the frame and vision of others. It is to remain stalwart as the captain of your ship, to stay committed to playing the game that you want to play—a game that evolves from your values and principles.
This doesn't mean that you don't collaborate. It means that, when faced with a vision you disagree with, you present your alternative compelling vision for the world and invite the other into it. Rather than addressing differences through contention, you address them through invitation.
This works equally well with business partners, friends, spouses, whomever. It is the embodiment of authenticity and creative partnership—an invitation to play a big, exciting game.
Being in Integrity with the Self & Asserting the right to Selfhood
Integrity is a word common in coaching and human development circles. Here's a definition from wikipedia:
Integrity: "Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions."
Integrity can be a dangerous word. I've heard stories of certain self-improvement groups using integrity as a way to socially pressure individuals into adhering to the community's principles in a form of cultlike manipulative psychology. The story goes something like this: "You're a person of integrity right? *Nods yes.* And you're committed to being in this group right? *Nods yes.* Then to be in integrity with your commitment, you must be in integrity with OUR values." Shudder. So slimy.
That being said, we can reframe integrity in a beautiful way. The heart of integrity, defined as being honest and truthful in one's actions, is authenticity. And therefore the true spirit of integrity is in being in integrity with yourself. Foundationally, this is an assertion of the right to selfhood; the right to assert your needs and desire into the world.
This a fundamental need, and one that we often short-circuit. Through this lens, a useful question: where are you out of integrity at the moment, and how can you reconcile that? Rather, where are you being untrue to yourself, and what action can you take to bring that back together?
One could argue that Maslow's Self-Actualization is simply the process of continuously being in integrity with the self.
Self-Authorship
You may notice the above 2 ideas are tied by a common theme, that of asserting and sharing oneself into the world. Much of this stems from my recent reading up on adult development. I'm currently fascinated with the transition from the Socialized Mind → Self-Authorship
If you find the above screenshots interesting, they're from a lovely slide deck summarizing the current state of thought in Adult Development.
Anticipate more of this in coming newsletters—I have 2 of Robert Kegan's seminal works on their way to me as we speak.
The Importance of Tapers
In athletics, a taper is a period of reduced exercise in the days or weeks leading up to competition. A taper gives athletes time to fully recover from intense training so they can perform at their peak.
In mental domains it's less common for us to have single moments of acute performance demands like in athletics. But the concept of a taper is still invaluable. Consistent mental demand takes a toll. If we are always pushing, there will inevitably come a time where stress builds and our ability to perform and recover become compromised. A taper may appear to set us back in the short term, but is essential for performance over the long run.
I recently reconstructed my calendar with this in mind. During the last week of every month, I taper. This doesn't mean I don't work at all, but rather that I pull back on development activities that induce stress for the purpose of growth. I still workout, but less hard. I still work, but I focus on servicing the business that I have rather than developing the business further.
Additionally, in the last week of the last month of the quarter, I'm introducing a deloading phase. This is a more aggressive taper: a week off from workouts, a reduction of work to only the absolute essential, a period truly focused on recovery.
As high performers, we often neglect our need for recovery. This is a perilous mistake to make. Nearly all of the gains to be won in any domain comes from compounding (of money, skills, relationships), of which time is an essential component. Anyone interested in peak performance over the long run is also interested in sustained performance, and recovery is an essential ingredient.
My second week hitting send on a Monday! Aspiring to get back to a Sunday night send next week.
May you have a Hygge Autumn,
Justin