Stories Drive Performance

I was on vacation last week in a backcountry ski hut in British Columbia, Canada. A group of 10 of us was dropped off via helicopter with two ski guides, and a chef. For six days, I was offline digitally. We’d go ski touring, climbing up to the ridges surrounding the hut and skiing down. After a day of skiing, we’d return to the hut where the chef would have an “après ski snack” laid out and take saunas, resting for dinner and in bed by 8:30 or 9 pm so we would be ready to do it all over again.

It’s deluxe and rugged wrapped in one package.

To paint the picture in more detail, the scenery is stunning, the physical exertion pushed my boundaries at times, and the exposure to ledges and ridge tops or steep boot climbs can feel scary although not insurmountable.

It gave me a lot of time for self-awareness and reflection.

I noticed thoughts that created anxiety like:

Can I do it?

Can I keep up with the others?

I don’t want to be the weak link.

Do I have the gear I need for the cold? Enough food?

I learned to be kinder to myself. I would assure me. Internal dialogue like “you’ve got this.” You’ve done this before.

I would notice after the first run of the day how my anxiety would ease each day. It always does. So I’d remind myself of that out of encouragement to myself.

If something went wrong, I’d stop myself before panicking and jump into solutions. My boot is wiggling in my binding. Oh no. my binding is malfunctioning. I’m going to be stuck out here, and they will have to send a helicopter to fetch me quickly shifts to, “Something isn’t right. There must be ice in the toe piece.” Pause. Get out of the ski and knock out the ice. Carry on.

As the day turns to late afternoon and the muscles don’t want to work anymore – I force myself to continue because I don’t want others to think I’m not as fit. I don’t want them to think I’m slow or not a good skier.

What if I didn’t have anything to prove? What if it didn’t matter, and I could go my pace, and people weren’t actually thinking about me? They were thinking about themselves?

It was a great practice throughout the week to shift my mindset. We can edit the stories we tell ourselves, and there is great power in that.

What’s something outside of work that drives your performance inside work?

Are you aware of your internal dialogue? What can you do to shift it so you can shift your energy and how you show up as a leader?

How do you speak to yourself in the long spaces of silence? Are you encouraging and supportive? Or negative and worrisome?

More importantly, how would you be if you didn’t have to prove yourself to others?

Take care out there.

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