To investigate peak performance, 40 business leaders described personal exp
eriences through interviews and the Privette Experience Questionnaire. In o
rder to discriminate processes of peak performance from personality attribu
tes of business leaders, their questionnaire data were compared with parall
el data from a sample of 41 university men. Multivariate analyses of varian
ce of factors and items and follow-up analyses indicated that scores differ
ed but not on defining attributes. The peak performance dyad--full focus an
d clear sense of self--and aspects of peak experience-significance and fulf
illment-were endorsed by both samples. Business leaders endorsed sociabilit
y and personal discipline and denied playfulness more than the university m
en, who endorsed fluidity. The relation of peak performance to self-actuali
zation theory is discussed.