The profile of a great performer

"His arrival at Old Trafford may have raised a few eyebrows, but in Michael Owen, United have signed one of the finest goalscorers in the history of English football" so reads the report on http://www.manutd.com/

I have been fascinated by human performance since I was a young teenager mad for football. Great footballers (and I believe great performers in general) are well-trained, experienced, smart and in some cases, divinely talented. The star footballer looks at the goal and shoots. No evaluating the distance, no decisions about how hard to kick, how much to bend the ball, or what the consequence might be if the shot misses. No thinking period. In other words, look and shoot.

Like a child playing tag, they give their skills a free reign and do not focus on anything but the target of that particular moment.

I try to emulate great performers at work: resist the urge to be smart, cautious or scientific. It is just me and my sales goals