How Outperformers Optimize Resources

March 17, 2025

Sports psychologist Scott Welle brings a high-energy, inspiring message to STN EXPO East attendees in March. (Photo courtesy of scottwelle.com)

In the hectic, fast-paced world of school transportation, performing with excellence isn’t just a feigning, casual interest—it’s a necessity. An obligation. The daily mission of safely and efficiently transporting students requires the optimization of every resource available: mental clarity, physical energy and emotional resilience. These three components are the building blocks for peak performance, and when they’re aligned, you’ll know you’re bringing your “A game” to the field of play of school transportation…as well as life.

Here’s how outperformers optimize these three key resources:

Mental Resource Optimization: Clarity and Focus
As motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins says, “Where your focus goes, energy flows.” Mental sharpness is non-negotiable in school transportation. From route planning to handling last-minute changes, cognitive overload and poor decision making can lead to errors and unnecessary stress.

Focus on the intersection:
Outperformers channel their mental focus on the intersection of the “Things That Matter + Things They Can Control.”

The Venn diagram, below, appears to be common sense, but it’s not always common practice. Focus too much on outcomes outside of your control and your mental resources are drained by stress, fear, worry and anxiety (“I’m really nervous about the results from this new process.”) It’s giving too much weight to what might happen instead of what you’re doing. It’s okay to visit there, but you don’t want to live there.

On the other hand, if you focus too much on tasks that aren’t impactful, you’ll feel mentally overwhelmed and frustrated (“I have too much to do and not enough time to do it.”) Try trimming your lengthy to-do list into a limited strategic priorities list. Then, watch what happens to your mental bandwidth.

Savor the small wins:
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Especially when we’re faced with complex or daunting tasks, it can be human nature to mentally disengage. Usually, this is because the enormity of the situation engulfs us, and we feel like we’re never going to get to the other side. It makes it hard to start and even harder to sustain.

The above image is from my book, “Outperform The Norm: Daily Execution. Extraordinary Results.” The remedy is to separate the tall “ladder” into smaller rungs, steps, milestones, benchmarks, wins, etc. When you do this, you’ll instantly become more mentally motivated. As you start making progress, you’ll not just focus on how much farther you have to go; you’ll also be empowered by focusing on how far you’ve come!

Mindfulness breaks:
We can all benefit from slowing down to speed up. Specifically, find time in your daily routine for mindfulness breaks where you consciously slow down your breathing (and, in turn, your mind). This allows you to speed up your mental game later.

Try taking two breaks throughout the day—ideally around times that are most stressful—and focus on nothing other than breathing in through your nose for a count of four (your shoulders should not come up when you do this!), then breathing out through your mouth for a count of four. Do 10-15 breathing cycles and you’ll feel calmer and mentally refreshed afterwards.

Physical Resource Optimization: Energy is Everything
As I was writing this article, I was recovering from a 10-day cold. I was saddled with a cough, congestion, aches, sore throat, fever And a SEVERE lack of energy. Have you been there? When you don’t have energy, doesn’t everything—including basic, day-to-day tasks— feel much, much harder? This is where a lot of Americans exist. Not necessarily in sickness, but in a depleted state of energy. And in a field with early mornings and long hours, optimization is impossible without physical vitality.

Prioritize sleep:
Sleep is our greatest source of energy renewal and quality matters more than quantity. One of the best ways to ensure a higher quality of sleep is to employ the 3-2-1 method:
• 3 hours before bed: Avoid caffeine and alcohol
• 2 hours before bed: Finish eating
• 1 hour before bed: Stop screen time (phone, iPad, etc.)
A golden rule for all mental, physical and emotional optimization is to focus on progress, not perfection. Are you always going to stop screen time exactly an hour before bed. Probably not. But can you make progress from where you are now? Absolutely. That progress will lead to more energy and better sleep.

Movement is medicine:
Quality movement / exercise is the greatest performance-enhancer on the planet. Nothing else replicates the benefits we get from moving our body:
Exercise doesn’t have to be a one-hour bootcamp. Any movement matters—it can be a 10-minute stretch in the morning or a 20-minute walk over lunch. These things add up. Small wins become big wins over time.

Fuel your body, nourish your brain:
Most people don’t link what they put into their body and how it impacts the way they think, feel and perform. It does. And instead of worrying about the totality of going on a “diet,” simply strive to make a healthy choice for breakfast (a piece of fruit and glass of water, for example). Behavioral researchers call this a “micro-commitment” and you’ll be committed to making more healthy choices for the rest of the day.

Emotional Resource Optimization: Resilience and Connection
The emotional component of school transportation is often overlooked, but it’s arguably one of the most important areas for optimization. Handling student behavior, navigating parent concerns and thriving through change requires emotional resilience and connection.

Remember what you DO:
If we met for a cup of coffee and I asked what you do, you’d probably say that you work in school transportation efficiently. What are the consequences if you don’t show up and perform with excellence? Far too often this gets lost in the day-to-day craziness of
our lives. The challenges, struggles and conflicts tax our emotions and cloud our connection to the good we do. Remember the students you serve. It matters. You matter!

Be elastic:
There is a common misconception about resilience (or “mental toughness,” as it’s called in athletics). Resilience does NOT mean that you’re impervious to emotional letdown, anger and doubt, and bulletproof to any adversity that comes your way.

Emotional resilience means you’re elastic, like a balloon. If something doesn’t go your way, how long does it take you to “bounce back into shape” (the definition of resilience)? Optimization comes from lessening the time of experiencing negative emotions, recognizing they aren’t benefiting you and consciously choosing to move onto something better.

Leverage your reference points:
Have you ever been faced with a challenging situation where you couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel? Or you doubted getting to the finish line at the end of the “race?”
We all have. Reference points are emotionally challenging events in your life that you’ve faced and overcome. The Norm looks at these times and discounts them, wondering why they had to go through it.

Outperformers see it differently. They look at these events as growth experiences that taught something about their own courage and fortitude. These situations, then, become reference points, giving a reservoir of emotional strength and internal belief with which to fight future battles—for you and for your team.

Your Call to Action
Imagine a school transportation department where dispatchers are mentally sharp, school bus drivers are energized, and leaders foster a connected, emotionally resilient environment. The impact goes beyond operational efficiency—it creates a culture of peak performance that benefits students, parents and the entire community.

But mental, physical and emotional optimization aren’t a one-time effort. It’s a daily commitment. Start by identifying ONE area where you or your team can make a small but meaningful improvement. Then, apply “speed of implementation,” where you take an action step as fast as possible toward this commitment. Remember—progress, not perfection! Keep outperforming!

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the March 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

Scott Welle, author and speaker, will give his keynote session at STN EXPO East

Scott Welle is a sports psychologist, author, keynote speaker and trainer. This month at STN EXPO East in Concord, North Carolina, he shares with TD Summit participants how exceptional leaders inspire others. He also provides his “Outperform the Norm” message to all conference attendees with a keynote on March 24. Learn more at stnexpo.com/east and scottwelle.com.