Human Excellence
What Is At The Core of Human Excellence?
The end of one calendar year and the beginning of the next calendar are often periods of time we use for self-reflection and planning. These periods for me this time around have centered around the question: What is at the core of human excellence?
Based on his research, Dr. Terry Orlick (PhD) at the University of Ottawa has created a model of excellence. According to Dr. Orlick, “Human excellence in virtually all domains is guided by mental factors.” (Orlick, 2005).
Dr. Orlick portrays his model as a wheel which he calls the Wheel of Excellence. Belief and commitment are in the center or hub of his wheel. The spokes or outer rim of his wheel include the mental factors of positive images, mental readiness, full focus, distraction control and constructive evaluation. It is important to note that Dr. Orlick is a sports psychologist by profession and training with over 40 years of experience with mental training and consulting many great performers in a variety of settings.
Given that Dr. Orlick promotes mental factors as guiding all human excellence, having belief and commitment at the core or hub of his wheel is not surprising. What is surprising is that belief and commitment are not at all the focus of most employee development programs today and certainly none of today’s worksite wellness programs that I am aware of anyway.
Most employee development training and worksite wellness programming and interventions focus on How-To-Do topics rather than mental factors. At the very least, training and attention should be focused on both the How-To-Do’s and the mental factors.
In terms of the seven mental factors on Dr. Orlick’s wheel, belief and commitment are both particularly important.
Beliefs are foundational to one’s views or perspectives. Perspectives influence how you view yourself and others. Beliefs also influence the level of confidence you have in yourself and others. Essentially, our beliefs also influence all the other mental factors as well. Beliefs also drive our actions.
Having a commitment to excellence is also equally important. Life brings with it naturally occurring ups and downs or highs and lows. It is important then that our level of commitment remains consistent and constant across these peaks and valleys. Personal motivation and continuous improvement are also linked to commitment. Commitment also applies to doing what it takes on a daily basis. In fact, commitment is required across the spectrum from mental preparation to goal setting, to taking action and as already mentioned, to continuous improvement.
Based on his research, Dr. Orlick concluded that “the Wheel of Excellence is evident in virtually all of the most exceptional performers.” (Orlick, 2005) Given what we know about the uniqueness of individuals, it makes sense that the way each individual applies the elements of Dr. Orlick’s mental factors and the weight or value of each mental factor within each individual’s model of excellence will vary by individual and the context or environment in which they operate.
Like many other areas of humanness, mental factors reign supreme over the actions or How-To’s. Employers want and need excellence from their employees, just as coaches want and need excellence from their players. The Wheel of Excellence is a great model for employers to study, adopt and utilize or implement in the workplace.
Reference:
Orlick, Terry. 2005. The Wheel of Excellence. Available electronically at: http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/free/wheel.html Last accessed: December 27, 2020.
©2021. William McPeck. All Rights Reserved.
