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Everything that enlarges the sphere of human powers, that shows man he can do what he thought he could not do, is valuable. SAMUEL JOHNSON


sides of the triangle, which represent skills and competencies and physical conditioning, are self-explanatory, but the third side, representing performance-based behaviors, is the often-overlooked psychological part of the game – the mental and emo- tional skills that allow an athlete to climb from mere competence to peak performance.


Much of his work has gone into defining and delineating the third part of the triangle: the performance-based behaviors. “We know that successful people have certain personality traits,” he says. “They don’t lose focus; they don’t become demotivated. When something slows them down, they take a deep breath and get back on task.” And in tough economic times, when a salesperson might feel like a pitcher losing his control, an objective read from an involved manager is of utmost importance.


“When it comes to sales calls,


you’re not going to succeed every time,” says the coach. “In economies in which people are nervous, there’s even less room for error. By identify- ing the behaviors that allow people to perform – and giving your sales reps solid feedback throughout the pro- cess – you can coach people through hard times and help them overcome fear and doubt.” He believes that the single most valuable performance-based behavior is a willingness to follow a process. Once, while he was running a sports psychology seminar, he realized that Michael Jordan, who at the time was playing baseball, was in the group. Jordan approached the coach afterward and said he was fascinated by the idea of performance-based behaviors and that for years he had done all these things instinctively. “I asked him at what moment he


knew he could be Michael Jordan,” recalls the coach. “In other words, when did he know he could be not just good, but great? He told me a story much like the Tiger Woods sto- ry, about a time in college when his basketball coach showed him game footage and helped him see that he’d had a good year but not a great year.


He said his coach explained that, for him to be great, he was going to have to prepare at an incredibly high level. “Talent alone is never going to be


the difference. What separates the peak performer is preparation. Peak performers don’t focus on outcome, and neither do great salespeople. They focus on process.” 


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