You also need to dry the exterior of your meat before you sear it (otherwise the sear doesn’t start until that moisture is boiled off, but the heat is cooking your meat further).
Also, the thinness of the cuts certainly comes into play - less than 1", you’re going to have a hard time searing in a pan and preserving any colour in the meat.
High heat oils (such as Avocado) are also highly desirable when doing your sear - a good chart here:
https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points
Also, Calphalon is a brand name…really doesn’t tell us what kind of a skillet you’re using.
Me, I love my cast iron skillet - get it insanely hot, add the avocado oil, then put a dab of butter (for flavour) in the pan just before I throw the steak on - I can get an insanely thin char that way.