Today, it dawned upon me, that in English the word performing and performance, are used both when it comes to performing on stage, and in the workplace. In Swedish, we use different words to describe respectively. How does one then perform well? Can we use performing on stage, as a benchmark for becoming better employees?

There are two things that make a performance great. One, is the preparation, training, practicing, rehearsal and the energy put into it. The other thing, is being able to step into our own greatness, being bold and allowing ourselves to shine. To have that confidence, both in oneself, and in the audience, that what we’re about to show, is something welcome and useful that will be met with enough expectations for us to push through, but also as relaxing entertainment.

When I was in Swedish Junior High, I took drama classes after school and took part in several plays, dance-recitals and musicals. A couple of times, I got to sing solo, within character. This is much more easy for me, than to sing as myself. Nonetheless, I can remember the first time I heard my own voice in the microphone. It was as if it became so much clearer and more distinct, besides louder, it almost didn’t sound like me. It was a bit intimidating. But not because it was so bad, but because I wasn’t sure if I could step up to meet that greatness. (I guess you can refer this as an upper limit problem.)

Later in life, I’ve sometimes continued to take a step back, or tried to not outshine anyone, especially prevalent in the Swedish culture, which has just made my performance lesser. To whose benefit? Nobody¨s, of course. Part of this, has to do with having PTSD, where we indeed can “disappear” a little as a protection, or out of fear. On stage, I need to do the opposite – pull myself forward. This can of course, also be translated into the workplace for professions or tasks like teaching, speaking, showing and leading, which is what I also enjoy doing. Dancing again in my middle-age years, have become both lots of fun, but also a way to overcome this for work.

Performance off stage, and not in the spotlight, also means to do our best, to really try, and to meet others for a collaborative effort. This is to realise our true potential and the goal for lifecoaching.