What is Meta Performance™?
And why you should not try to be a high performer.
Hey there,
Welcome back to the Meta Performance™ Coach newsletter.
We write this weekly newsletter to help established and aspiring coaches…
Master the art of executive coaching
Build a six-figure+ coaching practice
Quick note: this edition was originally sent on 02/12/2024. For our first year on Substack, we are republishing past editions each Thursday. We’re doing this to ensure new subscribers don’t miss out on valuable information and to give past editions a permanent home (so you don’t have to dig through your inbox to find them).
With that said, let’s dive in!
Today, we’re talking about…
What is Meta Performance™?
If the goal is to become a Meta Performance™ Coach, you need to understand the difference between “high performance” and Meta Performance™.
You can dive deeper into this topic by reading our book, Beyond High Performance: What Great Coaches Know About How the Best Get Better.
There are 4 levels of performance, but most people only know about 3.
Each level is embodied by a specific question.
Level 1: Low Performance
This is where you ask, “What’s the least amount of work I can do and not get fired?”
We don’t usually say this out loud, but it guides our behavior.
Level 2: Performance
This is where we ask, “How can I do a good job?”
This shows up in areas of our lives where we don’t want to be horrible, but we don’t want to be great either.
Level 3: High Performance
This is where we ask, “How can I be the best?”
Everyone wants to attract and retain high performers, but we believe that’s a mistake. Why? There are a few reasons, but the main one is this: high performance is attainable.
You can become the best. In your department. At your company. In the world.
It’s possible, and simply knowing it’s possible keeps you from attaining it.
Ever notice how most people hit below their target?
This is because accomplishment comes with its own burden: the burden of having to discover what comes next. This burden creates a magnetic push away from the accomplishment.
It creates an experience that many feel but few articulate. It's what our founder, Jason Jaggard, calls avoiding the pain of success.
To overcome this challenge, you must become obsessed with a different question that few people ask:
What comes after high performance?
Level 4: Meta Performance™
Meta Performers are obsessed with a very different question: “What am I capable of?”
They’re not committed to being better than others. They’re committed to exploring their own potential.
“How can I be the best?” has a finite answer.
“What am I capable of accomplishing?” has infinite answers.
In other words, human potential has fewer limits than human competition.
Meta Performers are never done, no matter how many records they break. They never reach the top because they know there’s always more inside them. They’re not focused on others.
Their eyes are fixed on their own potential.
Embrace Meta Performance™
Stop asking, “How can I be the best coach?” In doing so, you’re only limiting yourself. Start asking, “What am I capable of in my coaching business?”
Then, commit everything you have to discover the answer.
Trust me, you will surprise yourself.
To your potential,
Joseph King Barkley
President of the Meta Performance™ Institute
P.S. Want to discover your potential alongside a cohort of driven coaches? Click here to learn more about our upcoming Foundations cohorts.