Patterns of High Performance: Discovering the Ways People Work Best

Rating:
Summary: career consultants read this
Review: In this original and relevant book, Jerry Fletcher describes how each person has a consistent an unique pattern of high performance. This high performance pattern is a precise description of the unique sequence of steps that an individual consistently follows when he or she carries out an activity that has highly succesful results. The book shows how high performance patterns can be identified and how they can be used (for instance in making career choices, understanding and correcting performance problems and solving conflicts). The book is a joy to read (many examples) and is very recommendable for career consultants.

Rating:
Summary: A great coaching approach.
Review: One of the assumptions in this book is that clients have "high performance patterns." This assumption goes along with what the relatively new field of professional coaching assumes -- clients are creative, resourceful, and fully capable of high performance. The "trick" is to discover what those high performance patterns are. The authors use client stories to draw out these often hidden patterns. I think that's a simple approach that can build deep personal awareness. It's from both this awareness of how one operates best, and the selection of appropriate roles that are a good fit for one's personal high performance patterns, that individuals can truly perform at high levels of excellence. One caveat with this approach, the analysis required to recognize high performance patterns might not be an easy thing for many people to do. Yet, it's very much worth it to look for them. Often, asking several others what they see about your strengths is a great shortcut.

Rating:
Summary: A great coaching approach.
Review: One of the assumptions in this book is that clients have "high performance patterns." This assumption goes along with what the relatively new field of professional coaching assumes -- clients are creative, resourceful, and fully capable of high performance. The "trick" is to discover what those high performance patterns are. The authors use client stories to draw out these often hidden patterns. I think that's a simple approach that can build deep personal awareness. It's from both this awareness of how one operates best, and the selection of appropriate roles that are a good fit for one's personal high performance patterns, that individuals can truly perform at high levels of excellence. One caveat with this approach, the analysis required to recognize high performance patterns might not be an easy thing for many people to do. Yet, it's very much worth it to look for them. Often, asking several others what they see about your strengths is a great shortcut.