Welcome to Issue # 6 of THE Peak Performance Newsletter

So, what does it take to be The Essential Trusted Advisor (ETA)?

1. Business Acumen - this is the level of understanding of how a prospect's/client's business works. This includes a deep understanding of their business model, their core competencies, their strategy, among other things. You need to have a deep insight into what makes their business tick. If you're an ETA in their eyes, they would say "[Your name] understands our business so well, it's like he/she practically works here."

2. Emotional Intelligence - this is how well you can read their emotions as well as keeping your own emotions in check while adapting and responding to them in ways that make them feel recognized, acknowledged and understood. If you're an ETA, they'd say, "You are one of the few people that actually gets me. I feel like you can practically complete my sentences for me."

3. Technological & AI acumen - this is how strong your skills are to use technological and now particularly AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to make you smarter and get things done. If you're an ETA, you tend to have far more time to spend with prospects and clients than others in your field because you've outsourced all the low-value but necessary tasks to the tech and AI tools well-suited to that.

4. Analytical Intelligence - this is the level of critical thinking and analytical skills you bring to the table when helping them solve important and BIG problems. ETAs are able to problem-solve in ways that get them to the root-causes of the issues while others are side-tracked by looking at symptoms.

5. Genuine Curiosity - ETAs tend to have an extremely high degree of curiousity about their prospects/clients and in particular their problems. They are very other-focused (that is not focused on their own needs) and are able to probe in non-intrusive ways that help them learn about the context of the challenges faced or opportunities sought so they can find the best path to success.

And there you have it, these are the 5 ways in which Essential Trusted Advisors differentiate themselves and become the go-to experts that prospects and clients seek out and will go to great lengths to work with them. That's why they are willing to pay hefty fees, which they gladly pay - because it's worth it!

How would you rate your skills in each of these 5 areas? Which category does that put you in?

As a coach, I would ask you: What is one thing you can work on today to help you become an ETA?

Maximizing Your Mental Performance

Did you know your brain has 3 gears? Is your brain in the right gear?

Scientists have quite recently discovered that a blue dot deep in our brain actually acts as a master switch for our brain with three settings.

This blue dot is called the locus coeruleus, and the best way to think about it is as a tiny little gearbox with 3 gears.

Gear 1, the slowest mode, is where your mind is just wandering aimlessly and we tend to day-dream (scientists call this the default more network).

The good thing about this gear is it can unlock our creativity and help us see connections we might otherwise miss.

Gear 2, the intermediate speed mode is actually the sweet spot that we want to be in when you need to get stuff done, especially when you’re doing important work.

In this gear, you are able to focus effectively on the task at hand and get things done. We can call this execution mode.

Gear 3, the fastest speed mode, is where everything in terms of information processing is happening much faster.

But this isn’t necessarily a good thing because there is a speed vs accuracy trade-off. The thinking part of your brain isn’t fully online at this point and you’re likely to make mistakes.

If your brain spends too much time in gear 3, you’re basically in a more stressed and reactive mode and are just responding to things instead of being able to step back, analyze the situation and come up with creative solutions.

So, ideally you want to start off your day in gear 1 – a good way to activate this state is to NOT look at your phone first thing in the morning but to get outside within about half an hour of waking and get some health sunlight into our eyes which stimulates creativity.

Then within about 2 or 3 hours you want to get into gear 2, and brighter lights help with this in making you more alert so you can be more focused and get into GSD (Get S@#! Done) mode.

You want to avoid getting into gear 3 as much as possible because that will activate the stress system of your body and can ultimately lead to burnout.

Here are 3 things you can do to keep your brain in the goldilocks zone:
·     Mindful Focus: Incorporate short, mindful breaks to shift your brain into a more creative state.
·     Novelty: Engage with new and challenging experiences to stimulate brain plasticity.
·     Sleep: Ensure you're well-rested, as sleep is critical for your brain’s recovery and optimal performance.

So, what gear do you think your brain is in right now?

Side-note: This kind of stuff has always fascinated me so I'm working on a NEW project to help people improve their mental performance by unlocking the mysteries of how our brains work, and how to keep our brains healthy and effective so we can keep performing at high levels for as long as possible.

If you're interested in learning more, you can check out the details here:
Check out the SuperBrain OS project

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And that's all for this week.

See you in my next issue.

To your success,

Humza

PS If there is anyone you know who would benefit from reading this, feel free to share this with them

BTW, speaking of brain health, I'm working on a project to help people improve their mental performance by unlocking the mysteries of how our brains work, and how to keep our brains healthy and effective so we can keep performing at high levels for as long as possible.

If you're interested in learning more, you can check out the details here:
Check out the SuperBrain OS project

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And that's all for this week.

See you in my next issue.

To your success!