Pinnacle Performance Champions

Every path to mastery follows the same stages of growth. In Pinnacle Performance Training, I refer to these as The 3 A’s of Professional Development:

Awkward

In the beginning, you’ll feel uncomfortable, clumsy, and unsure of yourself. That’s not a sign of failure; it’s the natural feeling of trying something new. Unfortunately, this is where low performers quit. They retreat to their comfort zone, convincing themselves “it doesn’t work” or “just not for them.” But comfort zones never produce champions.

Average

If you push through the awkwardness, you’ll reach a stage of basic competence. Here, you can get by, you’re no longer stumbling, but you’re also blending in. Many people stall here. They settle for being “good enough” and stop pushing. In a competitive environment, “average” isn’t a safe place, it’s the danger zone of mediocrity.

Awesome

For those who keep moving forward, practice turns into polish, and effort becomes excellence. They break through the awkward, rise above the average, and reach Awesome. This is where top performers live. This is where Pinnacle Performers separate themselves from the crowd.

Be Like Mike

When Michael Jordan first tried out for his high school varsity basketball team, he didn’t make the cut. That was his Awkward stage. Most players would have quit, convinced they weren’t good enough.

But Jordan didn’t quit. He doubled down on practice, showing up in the gym before school, after practice, and late into the night. With time, he reached the Average stage; good enough to play, but still not the superstar we remember.

The difference is he kept going. He refused to settle for average. Through relentless work, an unstoppable mindset, and the drive to push beyond comfort, he broke through to Awesome. The world came to know him as the greatest basketball player of all time… not because he skipped the awkward or settled at average, but because he refused to quit until excellence became his standard.

The formula is simple, but the commitment is hard: stay the course when others quit.

Every professional development journey – whether in sales, leadership, or customer service – will test your patience and resilience. The key is to recognize where you are in the cycle, resist the temptation to retreat, and keep pressing forward until your best becomes your standard.

Remember: Awkward is just the first step toward Awesome. Stay committed. Stay consistent. Success has a formula, and this is part of it.

Steve