Who Is Dr. Julie Gurner?
Dr. Julie Gurner is a doctor of psychology and executive performance coach. She has been compared to Wendy Rhoades of “Billions” in The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gurner is trusted by top talent and their teams to help them achieve world-class performance in fast-paced, high-pressure, extremely competitive environments. Her newsletter, Ultra Successful on Substack, is listed as one of the top Business publications on the platform, sharing secrets of some of the most successful founders in the world. You can follow her on Twitter at @drgurner
1) Most people claim to want to be peak performers, but few actually achieve it. In your experience, what has been a common thread separating those who achieve it from those who don’t?
There are a few traits that really separate them out. Three traits that stand out to me are a strong bias to action, persistence, and self-belief. In many ways, these are all linked and intermixed. The bias to action is just the tendency to not stay in their head too long and just…do something that moves the puck toward the goal. putting themselves out there, again and again, and taking some early hits (which persistence links into). These are people who just don’t stop, deeply believe in their abilities (self-belief), and will work hard to make it happen. Despite the hype, many started from very humble backgrounds, and they’ve had to persist for long periods of time. They have an “in their gut” deep belief and conviction that they will rise, and they walk their talk on that…even when things get incredibly challenging in their path ahead. It’s incredibly inspiring to do the work I do for this reason – I get to see unlikely success stories all the time.
2) In your practice you deal with individuals that range from athletics to the corporate world. What is a common misconception that society has about people who have gotten to the top of their field?
There are so many! Common things I hear about those who have gotten to the top are personality traits (that they’re all extroverts, greedy, or arrogant), and their assumptions about people’s demographics – that they are all from wealthy families or had some special head start. I see people who break these stereotypes all the time.
Saying that, I think the media greatly elevates one specific type of entrepreneur or wealthy person that may fit some of those stereotypes. While they’re the ones that grab headlines, they’re not fully representative of the group.
We don’t see the stories of the quiet guy behind a computer, or the woman who trains for hours on end to make the Olympic team. The big personalities, big statements, and bad behavior often is what gets a lot of press. The quiet person from humble beginnings doing big things is not a headline most of the time…and that’s a shame.
3) Sometimes peak performers go through slumps that can trail on for a period of time. What advice do you typically give them to help them arrest the decline or get out of the slump?
This is a great question. Slumps are very personal. The thing that impacts your friend deeply, might not bother you at all…so it depends on their unique background and your particular tender spots. For example, if you have a founder that’s had a failed company in the past, they can get into a bad slump when they have a bad quarter or fear it’s the end when objectively things are still very salvageable or even positive – it’s not uncommon for them to show stress signs and reduce risks just when they need to make hard calls the most. Slumps are personal, not objective…and maybe that’s the takeaway.
As a general rule, I always help people leverage their strengths when they struggle – and I don’t sit in weakness very long, otherwise it becomes too familiar. How have they gotten out of some challenging situations in the past? What skills do they bring to the table? Sometimes you have to pull those strengths & abilities forward.
4) In your experience, what role does luck play (if any) in the lives of top performers?
Most top performers are very candid that luck plays a role – but they positioned themselves to be able to take advantage of that moment in time. That saying that “luck is when preparation meets opportunity” is very true. If you put yourself out there repeatedly, you often end up bumping into luck. People set themselves up for serendipity…and everyone has that ability. Whether that’s truly luck, I’m not sure.
5) Can ambition be learned or is it something that people either have or they don’t?
To me, the greatest ambition is a deep hunger…and my gut in doing this work for so long, is that this isn’t something you can teach. If I asked you, “hey, is that person a ‘killer’?” most people would know what I mean. It’s hard to define. You can’t teach it…but wow, can you spot it in action.
I would say, however, that people can have periods where they lose their mojo a bit. Life is harsh – we have losses, grief, and pain that can impact us deeply…getting back in touch with something like ambition is something you can *definitely* do – but it’s got to be in there to begin with, if you want to reignite that.
Saying this, I think it’s important to remember that being ambitious doesn’t look the same in everyone. Some people are very low-key killers, and others are brash. There are a million presentations, and many can be very effective…not just one style that people might see on television. There are cultural and gender differences also in how people express their ambition – but it doesn’t mean it’s not there, or that person is not absolutely a killer. You just have to learn how to spot it.