Book Review: High Performance by Jake Humphrey and Prof Damian Hughes published by Penguin 2023.
This was Fabulous Networking Book Club’s choice in March 2023 and was a popular choice. Much of the book is based on the High Performance podcast presented by Humphrey and Hughes.
Unlike some of our book club reads this book balanced the academic research with real stories and learning points. It’s well structured and follows a logical path with earlier content referred to when relevant later in the book. This all helped with understanding and retention.
The case studies are people we have heard of, often from the sporting world. Despite this their stories are relatable, and we hear about the failures and challenges as well as the successes.
The book is structured as a series of lessons rather than chapters and there is a useful summary of key learnings at the end of each lesson. I thought that the final chapter was a brilliant, succinct summary of the whole book. The conclusion is that we each have to be the driver of our own high performance.
My key takeaways
- True motivation is internally driven where our behaviour aligns with our values.
- We need to be able to apply correct thinking when under pressure.
- Great leaders don’t micro-manage… they ensure everyone is aware of the non-negotiables and commits to them.
- We should invest in our own ‘confidence bank’. We need to own and capture our ‘golden seed moments’… those times when someone else gives us recognition for something we do well.
- Having identified our strengths we should play to them.
- The best cultures are those where people feel ‘safe, valued and respected.’
That final takeaway really resonated with me as that is what we’re trying to build at Fabulous Networking.
Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely. It’s well written and packed with useful and inspiring ideas. It’s another of those books that should be read alongside a means of capturing the nuggets of wisdom as you read.
