High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best

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I liked the reference to positive psychologist Martin Seligman’s formula for judging whether your attitude is optimistic or not. In his research on learned helplessness, he came up with three ‘Ps’ that indicate you’re overgeneralising. People who view their problems as pervasive, permanent and personal tend to end up with worse life outcomes than those who view them as specific, temporary and external. Enjoyable Jake Humphrey is one of the UK's best-respected sports presenters. Currently the lead Premier League football presenter on BT Sport, Jake previously spent over a decade at the BBC - covering Formula 1, the FIFA World Cup, the London Olympics and BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as well as becoming the youngest ever presenter of Match of the Day. We’ll never know. Because, one way or another, we’ll never bother to ask them. Their life of relentless striving led only to obscurity.

I loved sports at schools. Team sports to be exact. But hated cross country running in the winter. I’m more a player than a watcher of sports. I bought this book because I worked with Jake in his CBBC days. No, I didn’t make him dress up as a lobster. I’m a huge fan. Jake is the ultimate professional. He came to set prepared and ready to have fun. I trust him and love his work ethic. I can only guess the amount of effort he put into this book.

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The “taking responsibility” chapter was my favourite & gave me a tough wake up call of how I can’t remain in a state of “learned helplessness” where the world and life is happening TO me. I have to learn to take responsibility. But also understanding a fine line between always thinking something is my fault = taking responsibility - that’s not true. “high performance is about what you do; it isn’t about constantly blaming yourself”. There’s also a lot which seems basically verbatim from Damien’s Barcelona Way book (also really good!) about star-model/commitment etc which seemed a bit of a cop out. I found the ‘pit stop’ concept which pops up a lot a bit hammy too, though well intentioned. Jake Humphrey has interviewed some of the most iconic individuals around. He has a wealth of wisdom to share. VEX KING, author of Good Vibes, Good Life Jake and I met in F1, and he has always had a perspective that looked beyond the blinkers of motor-racing. This book perfectly reflects that open-mindedness. It's full of valuable principles and approaches shared by teams and athletes across professional sports, with real-world relevance to people's everyday lives. TOTO WOLFF Unfortunately, there are thousands of books out there which perpetuate the myth of being “special”, being a winner, achieving your goals and battling against the odds, but there aren’t many books that encourage you to be realistic about your aims, understand and accept your limitations, recognise when the juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze, and learn to appreciate what you already have.

They also explore taking risks, creating a space for vulnerability in the workplace and how to find purpose in our lives. Matthew Syed is an author and highly acclaimed speaker, he has written six bestselling books focusing on mindset and high performance, including children's books. In his varied career, Matthew was England’s number one table tennis player for over a decade, and he has competed in the Olympics for Team GB twice. In this episode, Matthew shares his insight into education, parenthood and leadership. I loved this book. It isn't just about how to be a high performer sometimes, but about how to be a high performer all the time - on the pitch, at home and at work. KEVIN SINFIELD If you want to stop making excuses and take responsibility for your life, I recommend you read this book.' ANT MIDDLETONThis excellent book won't just teach you how to be a high performer. It will show you how to build a high performance culture that spreads beyond your actions into those of the whole team. TRACEY NEVILLE The issue is however, it’s largely just that - the best parts of interviews we’ve already heard. I’d anticipated this but the extent to which it was a rehash of previous interviews was a bit disappointing. A fantastic book that will help you think like an Olympic champion - in mind, body and spirit. DAME KELLY HOLMES Take any success story - take any famous person - who is famous because they are successful, and they will regale you for hours with stories about their training programme, the sacrifices, the early morning starts…. But here’s the thing that hardly ever gets mentioned: