NICK WRIGHT
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Peak

7/8/2020

27 Comments

 

I live close to a legendary road that weaves through the countryside with hills and valleys, twists and turns. It’s a favourite for local motorcyclists and police speed-trappers alike. Learning to navigate the road at high speed, on two wheels, to achieve maximum adrenaline rush whilst, at the same time, to minimise danger to self and others, can be a thrilling challenge. Every time I reach the end of that road to pause for a break and savour the moment, it takes at least an hour to get the wild grin off my face. ‘It’s the next best thing to sex!’, shouts one of my biker mates, wild with enthusiasm as he screeches to a halt beside me. I laugh and nod, flip the visor, pray, twist the throttle and cruise home.

Yet why the rush, the buzz, the high? What’s the relevance to leadership, coaching, training or OD? It’s something about achieving peak performance, being ‘in the zone’, that can stimulate and release incredible energy. It’s the amazing power of a dynamic synergy that emerges, like magic, between (1) person, (2) resources and (3) environment – which, in this case above, includes: rider, bike and road. If we too want to reach the peak and to live to tell the tale, we do well to pay attention to all 3. When do you experience peak performance at work? How, in practice, do you release, enable and synergise people, resources and environment to achieve healthy, engaging and life-giving success?

27 Comments
Chris Lee B.Ed. Grad. IOSH
7/8/2020 05:43:40 pm

Nick, great analogy, I use it in risk assessment, also love riding.

Reply
Nick Wright
7/8/2020 05:44:33 pm

Thanks, Chris. You may be able to relate to this short piece too then! http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/keys3540691

Reply
Chris Lee B.Ed. Grad. IOSH
7/8/2020 05:45:29 pm

PPE

Nick Wright
7/8/2020 05:45:54 pm

Excuse me..?

Chris Lee B.Ed. Grad. IOSH
7/8/2020 05:46:30 pm

Gloves, armoured jacket .Tarmac is cruel

Nick Wright
7/8/2020 05:46:59 pm

Indeed. I only ride wearing suitable protective clothing. That comes, for me, under the 'Resources' dimension of the people, resources and environment equation.

Clau Garciah
7/8/2020 05:47:46 pm

I love your article Nick! Forgive me for not answering your question, but what is catching my attention this time, is how you describe your journey on the road. I've never been a biker... I'm afraid of motorcycles, but the way you write, makes me wonder if I have not let the chance to experience freedom in that way... Thanks for writing and wish you a great weekend!

Reply
Nick Wright
7/8/2020 06:06:57 pm

Thank you, Clau! Having had 19 motorcycle accidents so far, I can attest to the idea that motorcycling can be dangerous...or at least, perhaps, that I am dangerous on them ;) Chris is right (above) that wearing the correct safety gear is very important indeed. It has literally saved my life on more than one occasion. Having said that, I grew up in a family of motorbike fanatics so motorcycling is in my blood, so-to-speak. Very few things compare, for me, to the sense of freedom and exhiliration I experience on a bike. What more can I say? I hope you have a lovely weekend too. :)

Reply
Lana Wildman
8/8/2020 12:12:11 am

Never thought about comparing my two-wheeled time on the road to being in my zone work-wise. But now that you mention it, yeah, there is an dreamy, wild, and limitless quality to both. Mmm, I could use a good hard 100 miles right now.

Reply
Nick Wright
8/8/2020 12:32:33 pm

Hi Lana. 'dreamy, wild, limitless quality' is a great way to express it. One of my favourite moments is accelerating hard down a slip road onto a motorway (freeway). It feels like I'm flying, and the surge of adrenaline is amazing. Hope you find access to a bike this weekend. :)

Reply
Lana Wildman
8/8/2020 10:29:19 pm

Nick, I'll receive the blessing of your wish for me. I set aside my motorcycle days long ago because my then-new hubby, who does life from a wheelchair, could not join me. I still remember how it feels, though. Perhaps again someday.

Nick Wright
8/8/2020 10:33:43 pm

Hi Lana. It sounds like you chose someone and something more important than the bike. Bless you. I gave away my last bike 10 years ago because a close friend lost his job and needed the money. That felt more important than the bike. I never imagined I would ride again until, very recently, my father gave his old bike to me as a gift. A gift from God too!

Danielle Jenner
8/8/2020 12:47:26 pm

Now I understand the kick of riding a motorcycle. Ride with God's blessing.

Reply
Nick Wright
8/8/2020 12:50:10 pm

Thank you, Danielle. 😎🏍☀️

Reply
Ian Henderson link
10/8/2020 09:43:47 am

I feel a mid-life crisis coming on!

Reply
Nick Wright
10/8/2020 07:05:20 pm

Lol, Ian. I think maybe I’m having one already! 😎

Reply
David Reeson
11/8/2020 12:16:56 pm

I can relate...took my beast out for a blatt on Sunday night! Long sweeping bends at speed, chill breeze keening through helmet, jacket, etc.

Hadn't thought about how that thrill relates to work....possibly because work doesn't hold an imminent possibility of death or being maimed if I lose focus!

Reply
Nick Wright
11/8/2020 01:41:05 pm

Hi David. That sounds amazing! On the 'imminent possibility of death' phenomenon, you may find this short related piece interesting? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/danger

Reply
Stuart Witts
19/8/2020 01:23:52 pm

The zone you mention, Nick, is described as a 'flow' state by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, if you haven't read him already. There is certainly something about motorcycling that can command attention and reward performance.

Reply
Nick Wright
19/8/2020 01:29:30 pm

Hi Stuart. Yes, I've heard of that. A good reminder to visit Csikszentmihalyi's work. I notice that sometimes I feel in a flow state when riding the bike, whereas at other times I don't at all. I'm intrigued by what makes the difference, including my mental and emotional state at the time. Sounds like you may be a motorcyclist too?

Reply
Ian Henderson
24/8/2020 10:01:49 am

And when you reach that point, it's like nothing else. To be absolutely in the zone is to be totally in the moment!

Reply
Nick Wright
24/8/2020 11:02:07 am

Hi Ian. That's so true!

Reply
Hwee Boon Toh
24/8/2020 10:03:59 am

This is Csikszenmihalyi's flow, and Maslow's peak. A sense of being 100% present, and fully, fully alive, exhilarated by both the experience, and the awareness of experiencing the self, bike and road as one. Amazing!

Reply
Nick Wright
24/8/2020 11:03:55 am

Hi Hwee. Yes, for me, it feels like floating, flying, effortless..!

Reply
Alex Swarbrick
8/9/2020 06:31:13 pm

Through years of West Country family holidays, body boarding has been a valuable metaphor. As humans, we like little better than being in control, having a plan and making it happen. Body boarding unceremoniously washes that notion away. You fight out through a succession of incoming waves, first jumping them, then diving through walls of water, each threatening to scoop you into a washing machine spin cycle, part you from your board and spit you back onto the beach where you started. But when you've eventually battled out to your 'just right' spot, you watch and wait. "Maybe this one"; jump, kick, flap, go nowhere, as either the wave escapes ahead of you, or breaks on top of you. But then.....when that wave comes, there's no stopping you; dropping down the curve, the power of the wave hurtling you effortlessly towards the shore ; no struggle, no kick, no flap; just being in the right place at the right time, poised, available and vulnerable.

Just as we humans seem to like little better than being in control, it turns out God likes availability and vulnerability. Available to Him, available to others, vulnerable, not feeling in control, not trying to contrive Him into our plans, but looking out for where He's already on the move, catching that wave and then being carried powerfully where it's going. When I'm in that 'liminal', unable-to-change-things place, watching patiently for what God's already up to and being available, is the lesson for me to learn. Not so cold and wet as body boarding, but just as vulnerable and thrilling.

Reply
Nick Wright
8/9/2020 06:43:02 pm

Hi Alex. Wow - your vivid description of those body-boarding experiences took me straight back to very similar experiences on the North Devon coast, some years ago now. I tried really hard to do it well and, most of the time, didn't succeed. However, on the odd occasion that it did all fall into place, that amazing, effortless, gliding experience on the waves felt absolutely incredible.

Again, it's that magical convergence of person, resource and environment, in this case: person, board and waves. Fantastic.

I liked your comparison with spiritual experience: 'looking out for where He (God) is already on the move, catching that wave and then being carried powerfully where it's going." Letting go of my need for control is an on-going learning experience in my own journey of faith. Here's an example of someone in the Philippines who lives that so authentically, in a way that humbles, challenges and inspires me: http://www.nick-wright.com/a-radical-heart.html

Reply
Paul
16/9/2020 02:24:43 am

It's the power that you harnessed at the grip of your hand Nick or the flick of a finger. Be it in the office as a leader or a motorcyclist speeding at a hundred miles per hour. Sums up to one thing: responsibility. Reminds me of the famous Spider-Man quote, "great power comes with great responsibility".

Reply



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    ​Nick Wright

    ​I'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? ​Get in touch!

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