Why the name BEST Performance Group? The BEST in BEST Performance Group is a multi-meaning acronym for 3 different Biomechanical Evaluation disciplines:
- Biomechanical Evaluation System Technologies
- Biomechanical Evaluation Sports Training
- Biomechanical Evaluation Simulation Testing
More importantly, BEST also refers to the mindset or culture of my consulting and application work and how it is directly tied to optimizing performance. Jim Collins book Good to Great is one of my favorite books that I refer to quite frequently. The book is in principle a management book that describes how companies transition from being good companies to great companies and how many companies can fail to make that transition. To me the book represents the principles needed to make any organization great – a Fortune 500 company, an entrepreneurial startup, or a professional sports team. Following is the opening lines from the book:
Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good – and that is their main problem.
I utilize many of the same principles found in Good to Great in my professional work to produce great results for my clients and help them achieve their BEST Performance. Performance implies that the results of my projects, models, simulations, and training programs produce measurable improvements to the engineering problems and challenges. These are data driven results that are necessary to help put the individuals and organizations I work with on a path to greatness.
Even though I am a sole practitioner, the use of the word Group in BEST Performance Group is by design. This stems from the following quote from Harry Truman, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” My consulting and application work will often take many different forms based upon the requirements of the individuals and organizations I work with. This often times means working with different hardware and software companies to achieve the BEST Performance to the engineering challenges and problems brought to me by my clients. It may mean at times working with subcontractors on different phases of the project. Through these synergistic activities of the group of network contacts, ultimately the BEST Performance can be found for my clients.
What are the Good to Great principles that I follow and employ in my consulting and application work?
1.) I feel that I have a professional will that is borderline fanatical and relies on workmanlike diligence that is more plow horse than show horse, typical of a Level 5 Leader. I am only happy with my work if my client is happy with the results. I am very self-critical and no one is harder on my performance than myself.
2.) When working with companies and other professionals on application projects, it is of utmost importance to get the right people on the team before vision, strategy, and tactics are employed. The Good to Great principle of First Who, Then What is more commonly referred to as get the right people on the bus. Working synergistically with the right professionals, technologies, and companies helps me to more quickly find innovative solutions to the most challenging engineering problems, especially if these collaborators follow a Good to Great mindset as well. This 7 High Performance Principles for Sport article discusses this concept as it relates to high performance sports science programs.
3.) It is impossible to make good decisions without an honest confrontation of the brutal facts. To improve anything, a thorough understanding of what is currently wrong needs to be established. This should not be done through coercion and blame, but rather through dialogue and questions in an effort to establish a culture where the truth can be heard leading to a vision of greatness for the project.
4.) An organization should only do what they can be great at, can make money at, and have a passion for doing. That is what BEST Performance Group is based upon. This is the Good to Great principle called The Hedgehog Concept. This should be an understanding, not a vision or strategy, and companies should set their goals and strategies based on this understanding. Developing the Hedgehog Concept is often an iterative process.
5.) To sustain results, it is important to establish a Culture of Discipline which requires disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought, and then take disciplined action. The purpose of budgeting in a good to great company is not to decide how much each activity or program gets, but to decide which areas best fit within the Hedgehog Concept and should be fully funded and which should not be funded at all. BEST Performance Group specializes in Virtual Product Development (VPD) and high performance sports science programs that significantly reduce innovation time and costs.
6.) Good to great organizations avoid technology fads but become pioneers in applying carefully selected technologies. Good to great organizations use technology as an accelerator of momentum, not as a creator of it. My company uses the most advanced biomechanical evaluation technologies and techniques appropriate for the specific project to help individuals and organizations achieve their BEST Performance.
7.) Good to great transformations look dramatic and revolutionary on the outside but are actually organic, cumulative processes when viewed from the inside. There is no single defining action, no grand program, no one lucky break or miracle moment. Rather, sustainable transformations follow a predictable path of buildup and breakthrough – like pushing on a giant, heavy flywheel. Most organizations follow the “doom loop” pattern. They try to skip by the buildup path and jump immediately to breakthrough. Ultimately, they are met with disappointing results and stagger back and forth, failing to maintain a consistent direction. My professional experience can help any organization to realize the benefits of VPD and high performance sports science programs to help them achieve their BEST Performance.