Perform Under Pressure
How managers and leaders, just like high-level athletes, can give their best in the tensiest of situations.
Author(s): Ceri Evans
Publisher: Thorsons
Date of publication: 2019
Manageris opinion
Pressure is inherent to high-level competition. To make it onto the podium, athletes must not only excel in the technical aspects of their discipline but also acquire the ability to give their best in the tensest of situations. In those decisive moments, the key is to maintain their concentration despite the stakes, eventual doubts, the weight of gazes converging upon them… Sports commentators generally summarize this aptitude as “mental toughness”.
But what exactly is it? Ceri Evans, a former professional football player, doctor of psychology and coach, who helped the legendary All Blacks prepare for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, has devoted this book to that question. He first describes the biochemical and cognitive mechanisms that are at work in our brains in decisive moments. Using this detailed understanding, he then provides the reader with a broad array of tools and techniques to better regulate their reactions in the heat of the moment. Lastly, he explains how to prepare and fortify one’s mind to develop high performance routines. His approach is as relevant to athletes as it is to managers and leaders striving for excellence.
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