Thursday 4 April 2013 What makes some people world class in their field? What differentiates them from those who almost made it? In short, what makes them tick? These questions have intrigued sports psychologist and performance coach Simon Hartley during his 15 years of working with world class athletes and sports teams. So he set out to find out how such people think, make decisions, and respond to the challenges that they encounter. Speaking at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), Simon told his audience how, by interviewing a group of world class achievers from diverse walks of life, he set out to identify what traits if any are common to world class chefs, mountaineers, baristas, athletes, polar explorers, special forces personnel and scientists. He said: “My rationale was simple – if there were common traits these were likely to cross into any domain. Interestingly, I discovered that it is not drive, determination and dedication that separate the very best. There may not even be innate talent; world class performance is less about DNA and more about ‘PDA’ – the perceptions, decisions and actions that set certain individuals apart.” Citing examples of top achievers from sport and other fields of endeavour, Simon outlined the eight characteristics that he believes all world class performers display. These include a passion for what they do, an uncompromising approach which accepts that they will not be taking the comfortable option, and at all times remaining authentic and true to themselves. Simon is the founder of the organisation Be world class and is the author of two books, ‘How to shine’ and ‘Peak performance every time’. Read an online summary of his talk, which was the third in the series of GSAL’s Mark Bailey lectures. The programme of annual public lectures was introduced in honour of Dr Mark Bailey, who was head of Leeds Grammar School and GSAL between 1999 and 2005. General News
