⭐ How to Be Top Decile at Anything, 🏊 Ironman Boise, and 🎯3 Questions to Perform Better

PROGRESSION: 2025, Volume 15

Some races mean more than others. Last Saturday I raced my second Ironman 70.3 of the year. It was an incredible day.

I came in with an aggressive goal of finishing in under five hours. To reach this goal, I’d have to drop 13+ minutes from my personal best. I’d spent months doing everything I could to give myself a chance.

My finish time was 4:57:04.

The cherry on top was qualifying for the 2026 World Championships in Nice, France. It’s been 10 days since the race and I’m still riding the high. In the coming weeks I’ll write a deep dive on the steps taken to unlock a new level of performance.

This race meant a lot to me. Probably more than it should. But I believe we owe it to ourselves to maximize our full potential. Whether it's sport, work, relationships, or any other pursuit. I believe there’s always more room for growth. That’s why I named this newsletter Progression. We’re all on the self-improvement journey.

3 Questions to Perform Better

In triathlon, my goal is to unlock gains in physical performance for myself. But as an exec coach, my focus is unlocking peak performance in my clients. I’ve found that most people don’t need more advice. What they need is to be asked better questions. Most people (yes, I’m talking to you) have all the answers inside of them. What they need is someone who can help pull those answers to the surface.

To help you do this, here are three coaching questions that will change the way you lead yourself and others. They’ll help you find greater clarity, focus, and momentum.

Question 1: What is my top priority right now?

When ‘priority’ came into the English language in the 1400s, it was singular. It meant the very first thing—before all other things. By definition, you cannot have more than one priority.

Asking yourself this question cuts through the noise and forces clarity. When everything feels important, nothing truly is. Naming your top priority helps you align your time, energy, and focus where it matters most.

Question 2: Who can help with the challenge/opportunity in front of me?

This is a powerful question because it disrupts the myth that you have to figure everything out on your own. It invites collaboration, sparks resourcefulness, and reminds you to tap into your existing network.

Often the support you need—whether it’s expertise, perspective, or encouragement—is just a conversation away. Asking this question shifts your mindset from isolation to connection, which accelerates your learning and builds momentum.

Question 3: How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?

This question stings—in a good way. It forces radical ownership. Instead of blaming external factors, it turns the spotlight inward. It uncovers the unconscious choices, habits, or beliefs that are sustaining the problems you want to solve.

Answering this question is uncomfortable—but that discomfort is where growth begins. The question helps you break through denial, see your role with clarity, and make intentional shifts that lead to change.

I invite you to carve out time each week to answer these questions:

1. What is my top priority right now?

2. Who can help with the challenge/opportunity in front of me?

3. How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?

If you want better answers, you need to ask better questions. These three questions are a great place to start.

What I’m Learning

• One of my clients recently shared his framework for evaluating people on his team. He pulled this from Brad Jacobs book, How to Make a Few Billion Dollars. I’ll share the full passage:

  • I imagine a person coming into my office and quitting without warning: “Hey, Brad. Don’t try to talk me out of this. I’ve already got another job in another city. We bought a house. So, I’m not here to negotiate a counteroffer. I’m here to talk about a transition plan and leave in a responsible way so everyone’s happy.”

  • Just by imagining this scenario, I can immediately tell from my own inner response whether the person is an A, B, or C player.

    • If my first thought is, “I was going to fire this person sooner or later anyway, so no big deal and now we won’t have to pay severance,” that’s a C player.

    • If my reaction is, “I don’t like this, but I can live with it. The transition period might be a little bumpy, but we’ll run a search and find someone else, maybe even someone better,” we’re talking about a B player.

    • But if my reaction is an internal dialogue of panic along the lines of, “We’re so screwed! How did we get into this situation? There’s no way we’re going to find somebody as fantastic as this person!”—and I’m so freaked out I can’t even hear what else they’re saying—that’s an A player.

  • The thought experiment serves as a wake-up call. (If they’re an A player) I’ll have HR check that person’s comp package and promotion timeline to make sure we’re doing everything we can to retain them before they ever think about leaving. Losing an A player is a cardinal sin.

• I love this quote from Dr. Julie Gurner: “Whatever you decide to do for work, if you try to be the best at it...just genuinely try and give it real effort...you will be better than 90% of other people doing that job. You will stand out and rise.”

  • Too many of us settle for “good enough.” Committing to genuine excellence will set you apart. You don’t have to be the most talented person to rise—you just have to care more than others.

  • Want to be in the top 10%? Try hard. Show up with intention. Be consistent. That’s all you have to do.

Gratitudes

I’ve found power in regularly expressing gratitude so I’ll continue the habit. Last week, my six-year-old got stung by a wasp. I didn’t think much of it at first, but she kept crying and her finger swelled up. My wife was out of town, so it was just me. I gave her some ibuprofen, but the pain lingered. Eventually, I got her to take an antihistamine. Gradually, the swelling went down and the tears stopped.

I hated seeing her in pain. But in the quiet moments of caring for her—holding her hand, trying to soothe her, figuring out what to do—I felt greater love for her. The kind that grows not in big, dramatic moments, but in small acts of service. I’m grateful for that moment. Not for the sting, but for what it stirred in me.

If I can do anything to help you, please reach out. As always, thank you for reading.

All the best,

Nathan

Read my book, The Unconquerable Leader | Learn about coaching

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