“I have never said this out loud before. I don’t know if I have ever admitted it to myself.” Those were the words of my client, a highly-competitive high school and future collegiate swimmer as he began to identify the conditions he needed to perform at his best in the pool.
In the rear-view mirror, he saw motivators, specific to him, with both internal and external components. With those in mind he outlined what would increase the likelihood of repeating high levels of success.
Here are a few of his future pre-race strategies that can help the inner game of any leader pursuing peak performance:
(1) Process your emotions. Nervousness, anxiety, excitement, and fear all are part of high stakes events and conversations. Isolate for a period before the race or big meeting and identify what is going through your mind. This allows you to amplify the constructive elements and minimize the emotions that do not add value. When we come into any conversation or meeting our beliefs about the person, place, or event walk in the door with us. Having self-awareness regarding those beliefs and emotions will help us deal effectively with them.
(2) Think about your strategy. For my client, this included when to have a steady state effort, when to push hard, how to hit flip turns, and being ready for the inevitable pain that comes with a worthwhile effort. Peak performance is not easy. For us this may include what outcome we want from our own event being very, very specific. What resistance might we face and who are our supporters? How can we pivot to a constructive place if things go off the tracks with that difficult conversation? It’s his race and it’s yours. Ensure you have a clear strategy and outcome for every event be it a meeting, client call, or 1 on 1.
(3) Visualize the race. The brain leads the way with everything we do. It basically does not distinguish between doing a thing and visualizing it. For him this meant he could mentally come off the blocks or do 10 perfect flip turns before his event even started. It’s not that different for a leader. Mentally making the perfect transition from the intro to the presentation or speaking to that person’s specific motivator. Seeing ourselves completely present during the entire session and picking up on all the cues and clues. Feeling how good it will be to really nail it. If you take a few moments to visualize the desired journey it is more likely you will successfully complete it.
This athlete’s introspection led to learning and learning always helps us connect dots. Processing emotions, reviewing your plan, and visualizing success are as applicable for your next office or virtual meeting as they are to his upcoming appointments in the water.
Roger Weldon is a former executive, 35 year veteran of leadership in the military and financial services sector, and a 5 time Ironman finisher. Weldon Consulting provides Executive Coaching and helps leaders excel in change with emphasis on the inner thinking game of leadership. He may be reached at rogerweldon@weldonconsulting.com.
