We hope to find new, unique and relevant answers to these questions in our ongoing study of high performers. For us, the purpose of this study is two-fold:

1) to satisfy our own deep curiosity about what drives human behavior so that we may impact people in more powerful ways and,

Join Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry and other high performers for this powerful year long coaching program! More   2) to serve our clients by meeting their needs with products and services that matter to them - unique research that forms the basis of impactful keynotes and training programs. A new stimuli in our quest to understanding enduring high performing leaders is exciting work by Shoshana Zuboff of Harvard Business School. Zuboff’s program, called ‘Odyssey’, is geared for executives in their 50’s, who have achieved the goals they set in their twenties and thirties and are now looking forward to what to do with the rest of their work lives. More often than not, they have come to realize that while work has helped them achieve a certain type of reward, there is more to what they want to do with their lives. The power of this self reflective program stems from questions such as – ‘who am I?’ ‘where am I going?’ ‘what really matters to me?’ For many at this stage of life, careers are like trains – moving well along a track but one that may not be of their own choosing. Somewhere along the way, they stopped working the ‘switch’ to try other tracks. And while they enjoy a certain pride about what they have done – many are left with a certain amount of emptiness and burn-out.

A deeper examination reveals this is what significantly contributes to these high performers leaving the companies they brought such great value to. Once the monetary rewards and other challenges lose their power – as they invariably do, if there was nothing else of meaning tethering them to the organization, they often chose to leave the organization.

As a company, this creates a serious drain of wisdom, experience and obvious competence of this group of high performers that could be otherwise used to help propel the organization in more profitable ways. This is your competitive advantage –your best people - walking out the door.

Amazingly, many still believe a bigger paycheck will solve the problem. Here’s news on that strategy: promotions and pay increases have a half life of around three months – in other words, the effect only lasts about three months in terms of increasing performance. And does virtually nothing for retention of your best and brightest.

Some organizations are recognizing this phenomenon and are doing something to rectify it. These are the organizations who are winning in the long term.

They understand that individuals today are interested in how they can ‘have it all’? Not necessarily a perfect life – but a meaningful life, where work is part of their purpose. Where they are stretched and grow through their work and their life experience. Where they not only get to the top (whatever that means for each of us) but live to enjoy it – instead of sacrificing health, happiness and personal relationships along the way.

It really is fascinating for those of us at IHHP (who get excited by these things) to investigate the personal attributes – and the external environment - that differentiate those able to achieve a level of enduring success. Our ongoing study of 2,000 high performers will uncover what do they do differently from the ordinary – both in terms of performance and in terms of health, happiness and personal relationships. And how this effects their ability to sustain success over the long term.

We will continue to update you on this exciting study – and even offer you an opportunity to participate. Stay tuned! Until next time: be well and be on purpose!

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