Leadership: Psychological Rules for a New Mindset

One of the best leadership and personal growth books on my list so far for 2018 is Boost: How the Psychology of Sports Can Enhance Your Performance in Management and Work by Michael Bar-Eli (Oxford Press 2018)

Peak Performance

Among the countless tips and supporting research Bar-Eli offers for leaders is to purposefully enhance the naturally-occurring positive effects and consequences of short term stress. He says, we humans thrive in such situations if the stress emphasis is on the short term. Build up from smaller blocks by chunking the larger goal. This feeds peoples’ sense of accomplishment leading to peak performance - a greater focus and uninhibited thinking process.

Bar-Eli says this peak performance occurs when two stages are optimal – ignition and flow state. Ignition occurs due to many factors, internal and environmental, and motivation and support are the two main concepts with complex criteria. Flow state is the mindfulness process that keeps the creator voluntarily on track. “In the zone” is the common sports phrase and describes the near perfect flow/mix of adrenaline and focus – not too much, not too little.

Many old-style roles and jobs did the exact opposite. They demanded performance without the potential for flow state. The more we stray from optimal flow state the more diminished the performance.

Information Hierarchy

“To destroy a tennis player’s game, ask him what and how they do it.” Many people cannot verbalize what it takes to ignite and maintain flow and once they try it leads to overthinking. Overthinking gathers information without establishing a quality or hierarchical level for new information treating all of it as equal and swamping the strategizing process.

To commit to a project or endeavor it is essential to give your goal specific attributes. As the project is underway it is easy to compare the progress for each attribute and manipulate or engage new data or quickly.

Remain Connected

To build your self-confidence for an undertaking, Bar-Eli offers the usual tips, stay on top of current information and get feedback. He then adds backward generalization (the hard work is done already), and importantly for the newer generation: ask for advice and support by continuing to reach out instead of isolating. Isolation leads to reduced performance and lowered self-confidence.

A great reference book with far more information than I can include here.