This month, GFA welcomed Dr. Eric Potterat, a clinical and performance psychologist whose work focuses on the science and practice of excellence.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Potterat has worked with more than 25,000 elite performers and organizations, including Olympians, Navy SEALs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, the Miami Heat, and more. A retired U.S. Navy commander, he spent a decade developing the mental performance curriculum for the SEALs, bringing a research-based approach to environments where the stakes are exceptionally high.
At GFA, Dr. Potterat’s conversations focused on the mindset and habits that move people towards excellence over time. Excellence, he explained, has little to do with innate abilities or natural talent. Instead, high performers are individuals who are intentional about how they develop: people who are grounded in a clear sense of identity, willing to take on challenges, and thoughtful about how they use their time and energy. Most importantly, strong performance is rooted in character: “Good people make good performers.”
Throughout his time on campus, Dr. Potterat stressed the importance of embracing challenges, and encouraged students to ask themselves “how am I approaching my choices so that I am incrementally getting better?” To be the best version of themselves, he said, requires a potential mindset.
As we approach the end of the school year, Dr. Potterat’s visit was a timely reminder of the ways that each of us in the GFA community can continue to strive for excellence and make the most of the time we have left together this year.