How To's of High Performance
Earlier this month, I attended High Performance Academy (HPA), a course designed to help people become more focused, intentional, generous and impactful. I arrived somewhat skeptical. I left energized, motivated and determined to stay that way.
HPA was created by Brendon Burchard, a thought leader in the motivation and marketing space. Burchard may not be a name that sparks instant recognition but he is the guy that Oprah Winfrey and Paolo Coelho (author of the Alchemist) call when they want to get more productive. I had never heard of Burchard until a friend, Cheryl Pierce, became a fan. She encouraged me to watch read his books and check out his videos. When I googled Brendon Burchard, the first things that popped up were videos showing him and thousands of his fans dancing and clapping...not wildly, but with great enthusiasm. It concerned me.
Cheryl is not the type to tolerate cultish nonsense. She's business-like and data driven. She recently started Skinworx, a line of skincare and a brick and mortar med-spa in San Francisco. Six months after opening, Skinworx became the "it" place to go to get glowing. I believe in Cheryl. I trust Oprah. I admire Paolo. They are fans of Burchard. I stopped balking and made the decision to commit.
Commitment is a key theme in the high performance handbook. It's not enough to want to become a better and more productive person. You have to have a plan and commit to it. It's not groundbreaking information. It's common sense. But it's not easy to turn common sense into common practice. That's where Burchard comes in.
Burchard is a high-energy, ultra-positive, often aw-shucks kind of cult figure. He portrays himself as a country boy-done-good who wants to share his recipe for success with the world. Recipes...not secrets. Burchard acknowledges he is simply repackaging what we already know and that there are no short-cuts. High performance requires hard work, discipline and consistency. Consistency is the hurdle upon which many stumble. We all know what to do. We just don't do it.
At HPA, Burchard shared his system to stay consistent with a sell-out crowd of 2000 people. It took 4 days. Each day was about 10 hours. It's a lot of information.
Brendon does most of the talking but he brings in guest speakers and requires audience participation. Several time a day, Burchard instructs the crowd to hug, high-five or thank everyone around you for being there. It's a germaphobe's nightmare but it does serve break the ice. A quarter of the time is spent working in small groups. I learned a lot from my peers, gaining insight from a motley crew that included an aspiring comic, rocket scientist and Olympian. Despite our differences, it was easy to find common ground. After all, were all there for the same reason...to gain the tools to do more.
Burchard insists that at their core, people are pretty much all the same. No one is unique. No one is special. Everyone struggles. I take issue with some his messaging but that is for another time.
Currently, I am learning to embrace the struggle. I have incorporated a Brendon Burchard endorsed time management technique,the 50-10 method. After every 50 minutes of work, take a 10 minute break. When you're working, make that your only focus, During the break, recharge. Recharging means not trying to squeeze in texts, emails and social media posts. No multi-tasking. Burchard believes that to have a balanced life you have to account for every minute of your time. Schedule time with the kids. Schedule time with the spouse. Block out time for exercise. Make the time to check-in with friends...everything.
It is extremely type-A. It may not work for everyone. But it makes sense. If you able to schedule the time, you have the time. If you don't keep track it, time can get away from you. It's a simple concept but one that is worth repeating...and sharing.
For the record, I am in no way affiliated with Brendon Burchard and am receiving no compensation for this post. I am sharing some of my HPA experience because I think everyone could benefit from a course like this, whether online, on audible, or in person.