The Six Influence Factors of Performance

One of the brightest moments of the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games was the gold medal performance of Alysa Liu.

She faced fierce competition from two highly experienced Japanese skaters—older, seasoned, and battle-tested on the world stage. On paper, the pressure could not have been higher.

But what stood out most was not her technical execution. It was her mindset.

Rather than narrowing her focus solely to jumps, scores, and perfection, Alysa made a conscious decision to anchor herself in joy. She reframed her performance around what she loves about skating: expression, beauty, connection with the audience, and the grace of the sport itself.

The Six Influence Factors

Every athlete and every leader operates under six influence factors that shape how they perform: Mental, Physical, Social, Environmental, Emotional, and Spiritual (purpose, meaning, values).

The critical question becomes: which factor is helping me right now — and which one might be getting in the way?

For Alysa, the emotional and mental factors shifted from fear and pressure to joy and expression. That shift unlocked her best skating when it mattered most.