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This book is the product of the experience gained through many years of working with and leading individuals and teams in their journey to excellence. During that time, I was very fortunate to have managers, supervisors, coaches and mentors who were willing to give me feedback and share their knowledge on how to be the best. I assume that they saw the potential in me and took the time to help me rectify my approach, reduce my inabilities, and improve my focus and skills in putting my talents to good use. It is with that learning in mind that I became a better performer and started recognizing the possibilities for others around me. It did not happen overnight, but in the end I realized that if I could do it, then I could likely help others do it. It’s been a long trek. Starting in 1977, I had the privilege to work on TQM (Total Quality Management) with Bill Conway, a man who had worked directly with Edwards W. Deming. That was the start of my journey to reduce wasted effort and maximize result. Over the years, I learned to apply the concepts to assembly lines and other mechanical ventures. However, the real gain came when I understood that the real key to quality was the people who did the work. Since the early 1980s when I reached the supervisory level in my work, I have studied and researched the human factor. I wanted to understand what makes people tick, and consequently, I learned how to raise the efficiency and effectiveness of leadership in the context of teamwork. The real discoveries came in sports where I had the opportunity to watch people dynamics at the speed of light. The knowledge gained there was priceless. Since sports demand quick execution, based on sound preparation, and the time is in seconds as opposed to days and months, the domain was an open lab in observing communication, problem-solving, planning, strategic thinking, leadership, teamwork and the new concept of collective intelligence. But if all that was going to be successful, it required each individual to be motivated, have the skills and knowledge, the capability and competency, and the environment to execute. Throughout my study, I became very aware that mental preparation was the key to performance. The more I observed, and the more I became convinced that there was a way to increase results while reducing stress. For individuals and for teams, that would be the magic ingredient for peak performance every time out. Because once stress is reduced, nearly everyone who has prepared can produce peak performance.
