The Three Forces that Drive High-Performance

You had to be a “natural” – An instinctive, high-speed decision-maker under pressure. You had to work hard. Relentlessly. With unshakable grit.

If you had two of the three, you’d likely make it. If you had only one, you were doomed to fail.

And I knew one thing immediately:

I was NOT a natural.

Which meant my path was clear—I would have to outwork everyone. And I would have to be liked.

The work turned into my obsession – my only driving focus. Eventually, years later, it would contribute to my own unravelling. However, in the short term, it worked for me.

That second part was even more difficult. As the only woman on the course, balancing personal boundaries, with the need to be ‘one of the boys’, with the unspoken rules of an all-male culture. It was a dance I didn’t always get right.

But 20 years later, I see how that old-school military adage reflects what we now define as high performance—and how those three rules eerily mirror what I call:

The Three Forces That Drive High Performance

• Execution – The ability to make clear, decisive, high-stakes decisions and take bold action that drives results. (The “natural.”)

• Energy – The mental and physical vitality that fuels endurance, resilience, and sustainable success. (The “hard worker.”)

• Influence – The power to lead with confidence, own the room, and inspire action in others. (The “good bloke.”)

The Highest of performers don’t rely on one force alone.

And they turn up their nose at only two. They cultivate all three, finding the zone where Execution, Energy, and Influence align.

This is what separates elite leaders from the rest. This is why some thrive under pressure while others crack. This is the intangible force one trainee would have—and the other would not.

Because when Execution, Energy, and Influence converge, you unlock something rare:

High performance that is repeatable, sustainable, and fully optimized.

This is The Everyday Edge. This is your blueprint for success.

The next time you hear someone throw around the words "high performance", ask yourself:

Are they defining it? Are they training it? Are they sustaining it?

Because if they aren’t, they’re just talking.

But if you want to truly master high performance, it starts here—with the three forces that drive it.

Execution. Energy. Influence.

Now the only question is: Which one are you missing?