From Hyper Achiever to High Performer

Instead of being High Performers, many entrepreneurs are Hyper Achievers.

“High Performance” is about consistently performing at your best. That is how you succeed beyond standard norms over the long-term.

The “Hyper Achiever” trait – as surprisingly as it may sound – has an adverse impact on your performance and effectiveness in whatever you are trying to achieve. 

Most entrepreneurial CEOs and Founders I have worked with experienced high levels of stress due what was going on in their company.

Many of them were strong “Hyper Achievers” who are typically emotionally highly attached to their performance and achievements. 

Glitches and setbacks – even potential ones – caused them anxiety and worry. And as a result they were emotionally drained. 

Being constantly stressed affects how clear headed you are in your reactions.

Chronic stress impacts the quality of your decisions.

Poor reactions and weak decisions cause more issues to worry and be stressed about.

Another impact on performance of the “Hyper Achievers” is the way they interact with others. 

They might get so focused on the goal that they might treat people as objects and tools to get to their goals. 

This can have a very negative impact on how they feel about themselves… and how others feel about them. 

Many Hyper Achievers give the credit to their behavioral traits for the success they built… yet in the process they sacrificed their wellbeing and important relationships.

On the other hand, there are lots of Hyper Achievers who have plateaued because they can’t see anymore where they are going.

Often the relatively minor adjustments and updates I have helped Hyper Achiever business leaders to do on their mental maps have dramatically improved how they achieve results.

• They performed better and experienced significantly less stress. 
• Their team began to perform better and there were less issues in between the team members. 
• Their work/life balance became remarkably more suitable for a human being. 
• They began to take much better care of their health, meaning that they slept sufficiently, took weekends off and had work-free holidays. 

In other words, they began to have a life that they had desired.  

AND… they continued to run a business that was under control and sustainably growing.

To shift from being a Hyper Achiever to a High Performer, you can start by observing yourself during your day. 

Check-in with yourself to see how often you approach tasks with the “work hard, succeed, and then I can be happy” – mentality.

Make a mental note on how often worry, anxiety or stress smears your discernment.

Notice how often you have a thought along the lines “I have to succeed with this, otherwise I am a failure.”

And how often work gets priority in your life, even when it comes to your personal relationships, or your own health. 

Catching yourself in a Hyper Achiever mode gives you awareness. 

Which, in turn, enables you to make choices that help you to become a High Performer. 

As a High Performer, you will continue building more success… without the daily misery.

Virpi