EPIC Performance: Lessons from 100 Executives and Endurance Athletes on Reaching Your Peak

by Bryan Gillette

Are you reaching your peak? This book will guide you there and help you go higher.

Everyone at some point in their life wants to do something big. Something EPIC. But the clock on achieving your dreams is ticking fast—probably faster than you think.

From managing multimillion-dollar projects with hundreds of employees to running 205 miles around Lake Tahoe in 76 hours to cycling 300 miles in a single day, performance expert and ultradistance athlete Bryan Gillette knows what it takes to achieve extraordinary results.

After interviewing a diverse group of more than 100 high-achieving executives and endurance athletes, he developed the five pillars of the EPIC Performance framework to simplify the steps so that you can walk your own path to doing things you never thought possible and living a more fulfilling life.

E = Envision: Clearly see your goals for your company, career, and life.

P = Plan: Create a step-by-step blueprint for making your dream a reality.

I = Iterate: Repeatedly practice with intention and evaluate your performance.

C = Collaborate: Work with others, and learn from those who have gone before you.

Perform: Put your plan into action.

Filled with timeless practical advice, unforgettable stories, and expert-tested exercises that will reorient your daily life from average to epic, EPIC Performance is a must-read, no-nonsense guide for those looking to do big things.

Genres: Self Help

248 pages, Hardcover

Published August 16, 2022

About the author

Bryan Gillette is a former human resources executive, an ultradistance athlete, and the president and founder of Summiting Group—a consulting firm that helps leaders and teams reach their peak performance.

For more than 25 years, he has held senior roles overseeing human resources, leadership development, and communications for companies of all sizes, leading teams of hundreds of people and managing multimillion-dollar budgets. Through Summiting Group, he has taught or consulted with leaders all over the world and facilitated executive strategic planning retreats for startups and Fortune 100 organizations.

He holds an MBA from California State University and bachelor's degrees in Organizational Behavior and Communications from the University of California, Davis.

As a lifelong endurance athlete, he has cycled across the US, completed a 300-mile ride in one day, and finished many 50- and 100-mile ultradistance runs. At age 47, he ran 205 miles around Lake Tahoe—8 back-to-back marathons—in 76 hours with 90 minutes of sleep.

When not traveling the world with his wife and two boys, he lives with them in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Learn more at www.EPICperformances.com or contact him at info@EPICperformances.com.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when guidebooks (for self-help purposes) introduce the book with "How to Use This Book" as this book does.

I love the concept of each chapter, five chapters in all with extra chapters with interviews and endnotes towards the end.

The basic idea of this book is to give encouragement to those who need it. We who need a better inspirational view to utilise our potential to the maximum.

The EPIC performance framework is something which I can easily apply and reapply.

I am someone who feels like I am not doing enough all the freaking time. Now it's time to stop and listen to some good practical advice. And this book has it!

I have already put up a plan with the EPIC framework in my to-do list and it's happening.

It has envision, planning, iteration and collaboration as the main core concepts.

Get this book. And yes such self-help books help more than the hopeless advice we keep getting everyday.

Thank you, Amplify Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

[Chelsea Kowal · Rating 5 out of 5]

EPIC Performance, written by Bryan Gillette, is the 42nd book I have read this year so far. It is definitely one of my favorites of the year, and quite possibly of all-time. As someone who aims to run a marathon and start my own business, I wanted to read this book to learn more about what it takes to accomplish those goals. I find myself very fortunate to have received an eBook, as I highlighted so many of the brilliant quotes throughout this book. Overall, the book is exceptionally thorough, as well as different from other books that aim to help people with adventurous goals, especially in terms of sports or business ventures. The author’s expertise in so many areas is clearly evident throughout the book. Along with quoting many different people, he also talks from years of experience (of which is very impressive). I have read quite a few “self help” books similar to EPIC Performance, such as Carol Dweck’s Mindset and Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I found this book to be on par and even better than these “greats.” I surely believe that this book will soon be among the classics and will help millions of people in the future. Along with being thorough, the book is highly organized and there is a wonderful flow of information, with minimal repetition. I often found myself reading quotes over to fully understand what was being said, leading me to think deeply and introspectively. Nearly every chapter ended with questions to ask oneself and exercises to apply what the chapter delved into. These questions and activities were completely new to me and I had never seen most of them in articles or other books. This book is so full of information that I may have to read it over again, maybe even a few times over. Lastly, I really enjoyed completing an online, in-depth Assessment before reading the book that helped me as I read the book. I am definitely giving this book 5 out of 5 stars! Thank you to Bryan Gillette (the author), NetGalley and Amplify Publishing (the publisher) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic Performance is a new book published by Bryan Gillette, a former colleague of mine and an incredible human. Bryan lives his life to his fullest potential. He dreams big and then makes his dreams true by his incredible can-do attitude, focus, grit and relentless action. In the time I've known him, I've seen Bryan leave a comfortable job to travel around the world (twice) on a tight budget - most recently for an entire year with his wife and two pre-teen sons, run ultra-marathons including running around Lake Tahoe without stopping. This last year he raised an incredible amount of money in a short time to help both wounded soldiers and refugees with the war in Ukraine. Bryan didn't just send the money he raised to a charity - he and his family figured out what the biggest needs were, established a network to procure items to meet those needs and then his entire family traveled overseas to retrieve those items and deliver and help people.

In the book, Bryan describes his framework for achieving epic performance. The framework was formed from his own achievements, but also based on 100 interviews from very successful athletes, executives and extensive research. Bryan sets up a framework for personal goal achievement - setting those audacious goals for yourself and then making them happen! In my current job, I shepherd our internal OKR process, to allow our team to set and track our progress against inspirational, audacious goals. What I found is that much of what Bryan describes will work with personal *and* business goals.

Disclaimer: I loved the stories in the book and some of these people quoted in the book are also known to me. Am I biased in my rating of this book? Perhaps. But I found the book practical, very readable and super useful for getting past the barriers you might have in your own mind that prevent you from trying something big. I also learned some new ways to keep motivation high and push past the inevitable obstacles encountered along the way to achieving big goals, which apply to both personal and business goals. I highly recommend this book.

[Lalit Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read about chasing excellence in the business world interwoven with examples of endurance athletes or in some cases who excel as both. I could closely identify with subjects covered including having growth mindset, planning in chunks for big goals, managing risks and finding your why to pull through emotional journey of ‘ups and downs’ in testing times. Having completed a marathon and written a book myself, I find this book as an inspiration to chase even bigger goals.

[Michael Freccero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic Performance is one of the most practical and motivating books ever written on maximizing human potential. It analyzes the skills and behaviors of one hundred successful executives and high performing individuals and offers a roadmap for others to replicate their successes.

Mike Freccero
Principal, Torchiana

[Diann Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

EPIC Performance is brilliantly written, carefully researched, and all-encompassing. Bryan Gillette takes the reader through the five pillars of success—allowing us to not only believe we can reach higher, but offering strategies to achieve those goals. A must-read for those wishing to succeed in fulfilling their wildest dreams.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents very practical strategies in a logical, understandable and engaging way. Many books have been written on the subject of performance but this one actually keeps the readers attention and leads the reader through exercises to develop skills. I highly recommend it!

[Mark Junod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and a very nice and unique blend between adventure/extreme sports and high performance entrepreneurship and business. Easy to read. Nice to have exercises and questions after every chapter.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

EPIC Performance provides a roadmap for results and is a 'must-read' for any executive looking to flex their superpowers in their personal and professional life.