You Already Know How to Be Great

The Real Performance Problem: “Interference”

Failing to utilize the information you already know can prevent you from achieving your goals. Most people already are aware about how to play better or work more effectively, but they don’t understand how to put their knowledge into practice. Managers and coaches persist in teaching and offering more information, seldom recognizing that their subordinates already possess enough knowledge. The real obstacle to improvement is failing to implement what you already know. You need to master the tools that turn knowledge into action.

Instead of taking another class, consider trying an “inside-out” approach that focuses on reducing internal distractions so you can work with what you already know. What is inside you must come out – whether it’s knowing how to hit a top-spin backhand or writing the best presentation of your life.

To access what’s inside you, you must remove the obstacles. The most prevalent hurdles are feeling afraid, thinking about what should be instinctive and listening to an interior voice that undermines you without you knowing it. These obstacles are “interference.” Interference prevents you from performing...