after day? But a few—the aces of your organization or industry— knock it out of the park every day. They are doing what all the others in your profession have the same opportunities to do but don’t. And self-discipline is the beating heart of their success. The Aces relied on battle-tested lessons of air combat—what had worked for others and for them. They knew that their initial flying success could prompt deviation from the formula that produced it. Formula adjustments are a good idea and can work well. Formula deviations are usually a bad idea and can cause a whole new set of problems. What do you do when one of your projects at work or client relationships is initially successful? Do you take this success for granted? Do you think you have all the answers? Do you think that your client will remain loyal? Do you deviate from the techniques that brought success? Do you take your eye off the ball, drop your focus and let up? Do you start taking shortcuts? These can be dangerous decisions and have potentially disastrous results. Remember that shifting from the basics of your business plan for no good reason is a risky strategy, even in the best of times. In chapter 7, “Maintaining Excellence Through Self-Discipline,” you will learn how to use the skills you have gained throughout the book to avoid the most common—and damaging—workplace ambushes. You also learn how rigorously following the Peak Performance Formula and the principles it represents can help you defend the core values on which you have built your performance standards and eliminate self-inflicted setbacks that can undercut your progress. As in any powerful formula, the individual elements of planning, preparation, focus, assessment, and ongoing improvement are important all on their own, but they don’t achieve their full potential until they are combined. Employing all of these elements, every day, requires real commitment and determination to be the best, all the time, every time. That’s why unwavering self-discipline is the final, essential element in the Peak Performance Formula.
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The Aces’ Peak Performance Formula