Stellar X - 1. Jonah Oliver - Building Sustained High Performance

2:25 Humans are crap at pointless pain. We don’t do anything hard unless there is a reason. But if there is something of meaning, we’ll endure great hardship. So not how hard it is, but how important it is. High performers are not born different, they connect to that “something of meaning.” What would we run in front of a car for?

3:55 People think high performers have different DNA, but they have the same fears and stresses.

4:25 Slide 1

“It’s hard to survive in the jungle if you were trained in a zoo.” Don’t blame the jungle for being a jungle. We all have to do a better job at adapting and helping others to adapt. Top performers embrace the jungle. 

7:00

If you are not prepared for the real world out there, you will have a “violation of expectation.” Top performers focus on that preparation. 

Slide 5: It’s not about reducing stress & pressure, it’s about increasing the capacity to take on more. Not about positive thinking, but connecting to what matters. Motivation follows naturally from that. Stress is the price of entry for top performers. Embrace it, don’t hide from it. It’s not about motivating people, it’s about connecting them to what matters.

8:55 Top performers have changed their relationship with stress. We worry about things we care about. It’s natural!

9:55 Top performers connect to the reason behind what they need to do. Something of importance. I want to be healthy so I can be there for my grandchildren.

12.00

You have to increase your capacity to accept stress. Then you can function properly in all aspects of your life. 

13:29 Be the bigger vessel. Same stress but more capacity to deal with it.

14:20 The Domains Profiler tells me all I need to know about where someone’s state of mind is:

Slide 7: How important are each of these domains to you? (Health, work, family, etc). How satisfied are you with each of them? The difference: Gap analysis.

Spending too much time in less important domains? Pivot!

15:50 What can we do to bridge the gaps in our important domains?

16:20 Be intentional with your life. Do activities that combine and nurture your important (multiple) domains. E.g. Combine kids/social outdoors & learning experiences.

18:06 What version of you shows up? Loving & curious/absent-minded and not present?

18:30 Life is about living your values. Combine the activities that matter with the people that matter in a value-spaced way.

20:50 Find your margarita pizza, not someone else’s. Find the three things that move the needle for you and stick to it. 

23:45 Think about the primary skills you need to execute in your life. Technologies can erode our most necessary human skills. Don’t be too reliant on them. How can I use the technologies but not lose my fundamental skills? 

26:00 Slide 10 Embrace - Accept that there will be stress, doubt, and frustration…. Normal stuff.

 Normalise discomfort, then you can Be Present

Do What Matters. 

30:40 Identify the difference between fun & enjoyment. Enjoyment is when we do hard things and find things that stretch us. What is your response to challenges?

33:00 Don’t be frustrated because employees don’t buy into your business. It’s not their baby. Find what matters to them.

Find what matters to you. What would you jump in front of a car for, what will make you leap out of bed in the morning?

Ends: 33:55 Questions follow.