|CONCLUSION|
The Next Step
“Showmanship, George. When you hit that high note, say goodnight and walk off.”
Practice
“When Barack Obama watched the video of the debate, he grimaced. ‘It’s worse than I thought’ ran through his mind.”1
It was 2008. Obama was just beginning his run for president. Although widely acknowledged as a gifted communicator, he knew he could do better.
That’s how high-performers think, they commit to continuous improvement.
Four years later, after his first debate with Mitt Romney, President Obama probably grimaced again. Post-debate consensus: Obama lost badly.
Turns out, most U.S. presidents lose their first reelection debate.2 One reason: lack of practice. Practice doesn’t make perfect, it just makes you better. Anyone can have a bad night, what matters is what you do the next day.
What will you do next? Forget perfect, just pick one or two things to practice. Consider your next meeting, or your next conversation, or your next email. There are a lot of 8-second moments; you present yourself every day.
And whatever you practice, act as if your message matters. Because it does.
Then Let Go
Years ago, I did a series of TV commentaries for CNN’s Business Unusual. Later, I hired an actress to critique my work.
The actress said some complimentary things, which I remembered for approximately 8 seconds. Then she offered some constructive advice:
“You need to be more like the actor Marlon Brando.”
This I believed completely. I always believe corrective feedback, even when it makes no sense. Some might call that a character flaw, and, of course, I’d agree completely.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Marlon Brando was famous for mumbling. Sometimes he sounded like he had marbles in his mouth.”
“You want me to put marbles in my mouth?” I asked.
“No,” she said, “but you’re over-enunciating the words. I want you to be more nonchalant. Brando’s attitude was, ‘Hey, I’m Marlon Brando! If you can understand what I’m saying, great; if not, too bad.’”
From this feedback, I derived a theory about peak performance. I call it “Loose-Tight.”
Tight means setting high standards and striving to do your best. Tight is familiar to high-performers. Tight is your inner mountain-climber.
Loose means letting go and relaxing. Loose means, once the show starts, you go with whatever happens. Loose is your inner beach bum.
To be exceptional—whether you’re in a high-stakes meeting or just doing your daily work—you need both.
Suppose you’re giving a presentation. Tight means you’ll be well prepared. But if you’re too tight, you’ll sound scripted and tense.
Loose means you’ll be good at improvising. But if you’re too loose, your audience will question your gravitas.
So you need the combination, but it’s not a 50-50 split. Start with tight. Put in the time, effort, and practice to accelerate your performance.
Then, get some marbles.