GRAHAM SNOWFIELD

One of the book's I read this week was A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century. Evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein explore how our ancient instincts are mismatched with modern life. The book offers a compelling call to reconnect with the behaviours, mindsets, and environments we were designed for—curiosity, adaptation, deep learning, and connection to nature. In a world moving faster than ever, this book is a blueprint for slowing down, observing more, and thinking better.

Performance: Curiosity as Your Competitive Edge

Many of the struggles we face today come from living in environments our minds and bodies weren’t evolved for. Rather than viewing this as a crisis, it presents an opportunity—one that demands curiosity and adaptation.

Performance today isn’t just about speed or strength—it’s about how quickly you can learn, unlearn, re-learn and act.

The modern world changes faster than our biology. High performers stay curious not out of luxury, but nece...

Elise Wortley is an explorer who retraces the journeys of history’s greatest female adventurers, recreating their treks using only the same equipment and clothing available to them at the time.

Her mission is more than adventure; it’s about honouring forgotten female explorers, proving resilience isn’t bound by time, and inspiring others—especially women—to embrace bold challenges, rewrite limitations, and redefine what’s possible.

Performance: The Power of Voluntarily Challenging Yourself

Elise Wortley doesn't have to trek across mountains in wool coats, hobnailed boots, and without modern gear. But she does—by choice. She recreates historic female expeditions using only the same equipment available to the original explorers, stripping away the comfort and security of modern technology.

Why? Because true growth comes from voluntary challenge.

Most people wish they could avoid difficulty when it finds them. The highest performers seek it out. We put themselves in uncomfortable situ...

Drawn by a deep desire to test the limits of human endurance and self-reliance, explorer Alvah Simon set out on an extraordinary journey in 1994: to spend a year trapped in the Arctic ice aboard a 36-foot sailboat. He willingly embraced isolation, extreme cold, and the ever-present danger of the elements. The experience wasn’t just a survival challenge—it was a profound lesson in mindset, leadership, and the ability to read the world around him with absolute precision.

Performance: The Battle Within

When Alvah Simon set out on his solo Arctic expedition, the greatest challenge wasn’t the relentless cold, the isolation, or even the looming threat of starvation. The real battle was with himself—his mindset, his decisions, and his ability to adapt.

He learned quickly that it wasn’t the Arctic that would defeat him. It was how he chose to respond to its unforgiving conditions. Every day was a test of mental resilience: the patience to endure, the discipline to maintain his routines, and...

Performance: The Danger of Standing Still

Success can be a trap. The moment we achieve something significant, the temptation is to pause, admire the view, and settle into the comfort of what we’ve built. But true performers—whether in business, sports, or any craft—understand that stopping growth is the first step toward decline.

Complacency is the silent killer of performance. Athletes who win championships don’t stop training. Elite performers continue evolving, challenging themselves, and refining their skills even after reaching the top. Why? Because the competition doesn’t stop. The environment shifts. The demands change.

Those who fail to evolve don't just get left behind. They get burnt out from lack of fulfillment. They risk depression.

The solution? Adopt the mindset of always becoming.

Instead of defining yourself by past achievements, focus on what’s next. Set new challenges. Learn new skills. Stay curious. The best performers know that growth isn’t a phase—it’s a permane...

NLP Weekly: Making your leadership & performance second nature.  

Performance: Motivation Banking

"I need help with motivating myself," says everyone at some point in their life. (We also often say it about someone else in our lives: a sales person, an employee, a friend, a child, someone that we wish would make a positive change).

Here's the thing about motivation. It is strongest after we do the thing, after we get the result. One of my clients goes to a martial arts class on Tuesday and Thursday nights. They voiced how one of the hardest parts of their week is finding the motivation to go at 7:30pm on a dark, cold, rainy Thursday night. It's near the end of the week. Friday's social plans are insight. A weekend full of taxiing kids to activities looms... 

"At the end of class on Tuesday night, how do you feel? How interested & focused are you in advancing a new technique you just learnt? How much do you want to experience connection again? How much are you looking forward to Thu...

NLP Weekly: Making your leadership & performance second nature.  

Performance: Strengthening Weaknesses & Refining Edges

"Focus on your strengths" is some of the most limiting advice you can give, get, or follow.

Great athletes & performers don’t just focus on their strengths—they spend countless hours working on their weaknesses and refining the edges of their game. Sally Jenkins explains in The Right Call, true excellence lies in deliberate practice: intentionally addressing areas where you struggle and turning potential weaknesses into newfound strengths.

This concept isn’t just for athletes—it applies to all of us. When we avoid our weaknesses, they remain vulnerabilities. When we face them with intention and persistence, they become opportunities for growth. The process is even more powerful when done with others.

Working on your weaknesses as part of a team or in partnership creates accountability and fresh perspectives. Just as a tennis player might rely on a coach to spot ...

NLP Weekly: Making your leadership & performance second nature.  

Performance: Precision Requires Practice

Precision is often the quiet force behind exceptional results. It’s not just about working harder—it’s about being intentional with your energy, focus, and actions.

Precision isn’t simply about skill; it’s about the intention behind each action. It's about the deliberate practice away from the moment of performance. The same principle applies to whatever field you’re in, to whatever you aspire to be better at.

Individuals who achieve the highest level of success refine their precision through preparation, and continuous improvement. Precision is a dynamic process, honed by assessing and adjusting - by getting feedback on where you need to improve most.

Now here's the thing, demonstrating your natural talent at a clutch moment of performance, does not indicate precision. It doesn't indicate long term, sustained success.

If we want to get better, if we want to achieve a sustai...

NLP Weekly: Making your leadership & performance second nature.  

Performance: The Power of Positive Self-Talk

I forgot the importance of positive self-talk. True story.

When elite athletes push their limits, the difference between breaking a record and falling short often lies in what’s happening in their minds. I recently read Endure by Alex Hutchinson. He explains how much of an athlete's physical performance is shaped by their mental strategies—especially self-talk. For example, long-distance runners who used phrases like “I can keep going” or “I’ve got this” reported feeling less fatigue and performed better than those whose internal dialogue was neutral or negative.

Positive self-talk isn’t limited to athletics. It’s a cornerstone of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a psychological approach used to help people reframe negative thought patterns. CBT teaches individuals to identify automatic negative thoughts and replace them with constructive, affirming ones. This shift doe...

For attendees of Delta Leadership Networking to get to better know speakers in advance of events, I created my own "Colbert-style" questionnaire.

Graham Snowfield, 8x Certified High Performance Coach, Founder of Semper Leadership Certified Coaching and Wild Walks Wilderness Coaching, and other local leaders for a conversation on:

• Single Points of Failure - how to identify & strategies to avoid / mitigate
• Deep Play & Deliberate Rest - the 2 missing elements of the 10,000 hour rule
• Winning Aspirations for 2025 - most effective ways to build & execute your strategy

Delta Leadership Networking Questionnaire:

Q1: What attracted you to live / work in Delta?

GS - my wife has had horses in Ladner for longer I've known her, which originally put in on my list. I've lived all over the place from Victoria, Vancouver, North Van, Kingston, near Niagara Falls, the Dominican Republic, plus a couple of stints in Guadalajara. I love the mountains, but as long as I can get them to easily, I'd ...

NLP Weekly: Making your leadership & performance second nature. 

Performance: Recovery as a Competitive Advantage

When we think of high performance, we often focus on pushing harder, going further, and doing more. But here’s the truth: recovery isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

Recovery isn’t just physical. Yes, your muscles need time to rebuild after a workout, but your brain and emotions need their version of recovery too. Mentally, it’s about giving your mind space to process and reset after a period of intense focus. Emotionally, it’s about letting yourself fully experience and release what you’ve been carrying.

Recovery doesn’t mean stopping entirely. It can be active: a walk, mindfulness practice, a journaling session, or even laughter with friends. It’s about replenishing your reserves so that you can show up fully charged when it’s time to perform again.

What’s the cost of neglecting recovery? Declining performance, diminished results and ultimately, burnout.

Here’s a chal...