Q: I think I'm great at my job, but I'm not in the top 1% of artists in my company. How do I hone my skills to become one of the best?
A: You sound like the kind of high-achiever who thrives on peak performance, maximizes every opportunity in life, and constantly pushes to raise the bar. If that resonates, you're on the path to what I call true mastery.
Related: 5 Deliberate Steps to Mastering a Skill
Several years ago, as a performance coach, I coined the term Return on Effort (ROE)—delivering exceptional results with optimal efficiency. High ROE isn't just about great outcomes; it's about extraordinary ones that stand out and seem almost unattainable.
In my 25 years coaching top performers and organizations, I've outlined a three-tier progression: Many settle for 'good' results—reliable and profitable, but stagnant. A select few push to 'great,' innovating strategically for accelerated success. The elite tier is mastery, where my high-achieving clients aim to compete at the absolute pinnacle. Reaching it requires a fundamental mindset shift.
What does mastery mean to you? It's more than being elite; it's a transformative way of operating. To change your results, you must first change your thinking.
'Good' defines stable, conservative businesses content in their comfort zone with average innovation. 'Great' dares to disrupt, blending strategic vision with focused execution for outsized gains. Yet even the great often plateau, mistaking their success for the ceiling and blocking the path to mastery.
Related: Why You Should Always Keep Improving
Mastery demands a precise mindset shift—for individuals and teams alike. How do you spark dramatic breakthroughs? From decades of hands-on work with elite performers, I've distilled the mastery profile into five core characteristics, born from transformative beliefs:
1. A compelling strategic vision, backed by deep motivation and crystal-clear purpose.
2. An unrelenting obsession with learning, growth, and continuous improvement.
3. Long-term thinking focused relentlessly on vision, results, and flawless execution.
4. A drive for perfection—doing the right thing at the right time, every time.
5. The innate ability to transform challenges into opportunities.
Most avoid the rigorous effort mastery requires, preferring the safety of comfort zones where apathy stifles change. But belief drives action. Your core beliefs shape your thoughts, choices, and results. To upgrade your outcomes, adopt these mastery beliefs. Shift your thinking, make superior choices, and propel from good to great to mastery.
Related: 43 Ways to Improve in Just 10 Minutes
Have questions for The RESULTS Guy? Send them to resultsguy@success.com
This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
