Welcome to Episode 103 with Carla Fowler. Carla runs a business called THAXA – an executive coaching firm that helps people achieve big goals through performance science.
Carla has a background in medicine and science but has always had an interest in exploring how you can operate at a higher level and improve what you do.
So, what does this episode cover?
Carla and I discuss the science and principles behind improving performance. We start with a conversation about what you can get right and to practise that. Usually, these are skills that can make a difference to your performance. Carla explains that there is so much science out there studying how people do their best work, that it can be overwhelming. So, the challenge is to really look at breaking these ideas down into areas that can help people.
Carla breaks performance improvement science down into 3 categories:
- Strategy – what really matters the most and what do you need to do to make a change and make the most impact in improving your performance?
- Execution – once you’ve identified what you need to do, how do you do it effectively and efficiently?
- Mindset – How do we then look at what we’re doing in terms of how we approach it. This includes our confidence or how we deal with conflict management
Carla believes all these categories need to be covered in order to see improved results.
We then get more specific by delving further into behaviour. Focus was a key topic of our discussion. We discuss how “brutal focus” is essential in strategizing and deciding what the real goal is. Then, what the drivers of that goal are – what really needs to happen for you to achieve your goal.
We discuss the mechanisms of the brain and how distractions can really impact our brutal focus and subsequent performance. Distractions are a source of frustration where sometimes we find ourselves having to manage our own expectations as well as others’.
Distractions affect our mental clarity and ability to set out our critical priorities. We need to appreciate how to communicate these effectively, particularly as leaders. Mental clarity and focus is essential to lead and communicate well in order to get the best out of your team.
Listen in to this fascinating episode. Carla raises some really interesting points as we discuss key areas of how we can really focus on what we want to achieve.