Thoughts on Leadership: High-Performance, Great Success

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me in San Diego for Darren Hardy’s High-Performance Forum, a private master class engineered specifically for entrepreneurs and business leaders committed to building high-growth, high-impact and high-performance companies. I’m fortunate to call Darren not only my friend but also my mentor, and I was able to spend some quality one-on-one time with him during our lunch break.

I’m here because I’m a firm believer in continuous improvement and always being a student of your business and your life. As I say, once you think you know it all, your slide to mediocrity has already begun. This entire High-Performance Forum is centered on this idea, the concept that if you aren’t changing, growing and thinking about your company in new ways, then it’s hard to imagine how you’ll find sustainable success in the future amid the constant evolution of your industry.

As additional motivation, the event sits in the shadow of University of California, San Diego, a beacon of higher learning in greater San Diego. How do I know the event is near this university? Because I spent 15 minutes of my lunch break eating—those of you who know me know I’m a quick eater—and the rest working toward my goal of a minimum of 10,000 steps per day while on the road. I walked to the coffee shop on campus as students buzzed around the expansive buildings, going from class to class, sitting under trees and studying for their finals. It was a perfect reflection of the atmosphere of education and betterment to be found across the street at Darren’s event.

High-Performance Forum kicked off on Day One with an introduction from Darren followed by a session on sales and marketing breakthroughs, inspired by some of the world’s greatest leaders and companies—Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Nike’s Phil Knight. Day Two continued this discussion and tomorrow, on Day Three, the topic will be systems and strategic planning involved in significantly growing your business. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail!

So, what’s the message? Even during the festive holiday season, you can still take time to better yourself and your business. Evolution is key. Professional development is ongoing and important. And the changes you make don’t necessarily need to be far-reaching or grandiose. Even small adjustments to your everyday regimen can have a big impact when compounded over weeks, months and years. As Darren says, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

 

GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.