Do you have high performing employees? What about a high performing team?
What does performance really mean, and how do we measure and improve?
What are the drivers and inhibitors of performance? How can you increase your own performance, and the performance of a team?
When I think about performance, I consider sports cars. They are designed to be fast and sleek, real outliers on the road and capable of doing everything they appear to.
When I think about my ability to code, sometimes I think I'm a rockstar and sometimes I feel like a n00b. People have their ups and downs, and can't operate at 100% all the time. Having a solid team can smooth this over when people can help each other out and avoid getting stuck.
My best performance happens when I'm in a flow state. I have my headphones on and listening to good tunes, my task is clear and the work is engaging, I am personally happy and healthy and not worried about something else. Getting myself there is on me as a professional to take care of myself and show up prepared to work. However once I'm at work, there are many misunderstandings about how to manage creative and technical workers that will throw a wrench in their spokes.
Learn about maker vs manager time: http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html. Creatives need to be in the flow in order to function, while managers schedule meetings to facilitate the project. Misunderstanding the needs of developers means crushing their ability to get stuff done. You need to work with them to find out how they operate best and be willing to move meetings around their schedule.
When I think about high performing teams, I see a symphony. Each player is an expert on their own, but the timing and synchronicity is essential to putting on a good show. A conductor is so connected to the musicians that a wave of a wand tells them exactly how to tune their part in the moment.