High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best

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They also explore taking risks, creating a space for vulnerability in the workplace and how to find purpose in our lives. High performance begins in the mind: before you can behave like a high achiever, you must think like one. Next comes behaviour, in which you turn that newfound psychological state into concrete actions. Then, through that behaviour, you can pass a culture of high performance on to your wider team, which will help both you and them. High performance ripples outwards from our minds to our actions, to our teams.” This review won’t be bias I haven’t seen Jake in almost 18 years. I’ve retired, so I’m not looking for a job! But I feel motivated to start a new hobby after reading this book. Take any success story - take any famous person - who is famous because they are successful, and they will regale you for hours with stories about their training programme, the sacrifices, the early morning starts…. But here’s the thing that hardly ever gets mentioned: We’ll never know. Because, one way or another, we’ll never bother to ask them. Their life of relentless striving led only to obscurity.

Wow. I know some people say that you come to things when it is the right time in your life, but boy do I wish that I had found either this book or the podcast earlier. High Performance will help you think clearly, act decisively and keep calm under pressure. If you want to stop making excuses and take responsibility for your life, I recommend you read this book. ANT MIDDLETONDamian Hughes is an expert on high-performance sporting cultures and a visiting professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. The author of a number of bestselling books, Damian's research has been praised by the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Muhammad Ali, Sir Roger Bannister, Tiger Woods, Jonny Wilkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson. This amazing book will teach you the mindset and habits of champions. High Performance has already impacted some of the best players and coaches across the world, but Jake and Damian's insights are equally valuable to people from any walk of life. I urge you to open this book and open your mind to the lessons within. FRANK LAMPARD Their competitor was working just as hard, was just as determined, just as focussed, just as ready, just as driven…. But on the day, they slipped into the obscurity of second place. Unfortunately, there are thousands of books out there which perpetuate the myth of being “special”, being a winner, achieving your goals and battling against the odds, but there aren’t many books that encourage you to be realistic about your aims, understand and accept your limitations, recognise when the juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze, and learn to appreciate what you already have. If you want to stop making excuses and take responsibility for your life, I recommend you read this book.' ANT MIDDLETON

Matthew Syed is an author and highly acclaimed speaker, he has written six bestselling books focusing on mindset and high performance, including children's books. In his varied career, Matthew was England’s number one table tennis player for over a decade, and he has competed in the Olympics for Team GB twice. In this episode, Matthew shares his insight into education, parenthood and leadership. Looked at from a less romantic point of view, the true lesson from any Steve Jobs or Usain Bolt story is that dozens of other people stood on the same start line after putting in just as much work and had their efforts come to nothing. High Performance will help you recognise your inner strength and celebrate your achievements. It's inspiring, exciting and massivel y motivating. FEARNE COTTONA fantastic book that will help you think like an Olympic champion - in mind, body and spirit. DAME KELLY HOLMES If you are interested in elite performance this book may frustrate you. The very different personalities of the co-authors are evident in the text. Hughes takes us through some of the more populist theories of individual and organisational performance from the last thirty or so years – triune brain model, multiple intelligences, learned helplessness, grit, growth mindset, flow for example – but doesn’t question their validity or relevance. Humphrey adds his own Pit Stops which are tips in the form of his own life lessons. For me the words of the interviewees are more insightful than the theoretical models to which they are attached. Something to Try This audiobook contains an exclusive Q&A with Jake and Damian, answering questions posed by listeners of the High Performance Podcast. This is a self-help book with a sporting and activity emphasis which is short and easy to read. It derives from the excellent The High-Performance Podcast series which has been running since March 2020. In the podcast guests from different walks of life are interviewed by Humphrey and Hughes on their ideas and experiences around defining, delivering, and sustaining high performance. The book attempts to wrap some theory around what they say What’s Good Focuses the mind on how to be your best . . . Thought-provoking signposts to a more fruitful 2022.' Observer