2 What is this Thing We Call Mental Toughness? Winning is about individuals performing when it gets tough, not when it's easy.1  
Michael Vaughan, Captain of the 2005 Ashes
winning England Cricket Team

It's not easy

Corporate life is tough these days - tougher than it was in previous years. Just as performance standards have increased dramatically in elite sport, so they have in business. Working hours are long, the demands are relentless, and the technology age, which has given us the capacity to communicate so quickly and efficiently, has simply piled on the pressure. So let's make one thing clear from the start - performing at your best is not easy. If it were, we'd all be doing it a lot more often. Performing under pressure is tough and requires a mental approach that does not come naturally to many people. Fear, anxiety and poor emotional control are the default position for many in the corporate world . but not for winners. Winners have the capacity to enter challenging situations with confidence and a sense of excitement. They enjoy the buzz of having to execute quality performance against the odds. They love the 'great white heat' of competition and seem to thrive on the pressure occasions. How do they do this? How do they stay focused? How do they remain calm? How do they display such a strong sense of self-belief when the circumstances appear so dreadful and intimidating? Answer - they are mentally tough. But what does that term mean? What is this thing we call mental toughness? The model that I've created in recent years is based on 20 years of work as a psychologist in elite sport and 10 years of corporate consulting as an executive coach. The model has been tried and tested in all sorts of different environments and will help you develop your winning edge by becoming more mentally resilient. The basic premise of the model is rooted in the importance of 'thinking' in the performance process. As a sport psychologist, I have been fortunate to make a living for the past 20 years out of being a 'mind coach' to athletes. This does not negate or trivialize the role of physical or technical abilities. Quite the opposite in fact. I maintain that if you get your mind right then you are simply allowing yourself the opportunity to display your natural talents to the best of your ability. Mind skills are not a substitute for other talents but rather the prerequisite for achieving optimal performance levels by coping effectively with the pressure of the situation. This is true whether it be on the playing field, in the concert hall, in the boardroom or in the office. The mental strength is so important . there's no limit if you're prepared to get in there and fight it out.2 Duncan Fletcher, Coach of the 2005 Ashes winning England Cricket Team The power of the mind is an accepted fact these days and there are libraries of books devoted to the topic. Many of these books, however, are quite long, involved and generic. I want this book to be 'punchy' and focused on the business environment. I want you to be able to read this book quite quickly and hence start using the ideas straightaway. The model I am about to introduce you to is not complicated, even though it is derived from many years of research and consultancy. It will help you to think more clearly about the pressures and challenges you are facing and put realistic plans in place to allow you to 'raise your performance bar'.

A model of mental toughness

The following examples illustrate the kind of challenges which face people working in business and serve to introduce the various dimensions of the model upon which this book is based. Mental Toughness Scenario 1: Geoff - 35-year-old marketing manager Geoff is a confident guy who has had many successes during his time working in three different organizations over the past 12 years. However, the team that he manages has failed to deliver against its targets this year and Geoff is feeling responsible for the disappointing performance. Added to this, he has recently received a poor performance appraisal from his boss which ranked as the worst he has ever had. He is feeling very down about the current situation and is aware that his confidence has taken a beating. He and his team have a tough time coming up in the next few months and he knows that he will need to be resilient and tough to deal with all the impending pressures that are inevitable. But he can't seem to get positive about things and he is struggling to regain his usual confidence. Each day seems to present another potential disappointment and Geoff knows that he must break this cycle of negativity in which he finds himself. Geoff needs to turn things around in his own mind before he does anything else. He has to display mental toughness for his own good and for the benefit of his team. In short, Geoff needs some coaching on Turnaround Toughness. This is the first part of the mental toughness model and is all about regaining self-belief when things are going badly. Turnaround Toughness is about dealing with adversity and setback. It's about coming back strong when things seem to have gone against you. We've all experienced this challenge at certain points in our lives. How do we regroup and focus on a positive approach for moving forward? Consider these specific situations: Bouncing back after failing to gain a much-deserved promotion. Staying positive when working for an unsupportive or critical boss. Maintaining commitment to your organization when facing the imposition of unrealistic performance targets by senior management. Sustaining self-belief when you have performed poorly in the last few team meetings and received feedback about your lack of constructive contribution. Getting some really bad luck at a time when things needed to go your way. How do you cope with the pressure these situations create? You must reconnect with your previous performance accomplishments and make sure that you approach your future challenges with a confident mindset that focuses on success and achievement rather than failure and disappointment. The world of elite sport is packed full of stories exemplifying this type of mental approach and Turnaround Toughness. The two Olympic Golds and six world titles may go down as the defining statistics of my career, but I am more proud of making the most of my limited talent and never refusing to believe I wasn't going to win at the Olympics - even after missing the 1992 Games through injury and those in 1996 due to illness the day before I was due to race.3  
James Cracknell, Double Olympic Gold Medallist James Cracknell had more than his fair share of ups and downs during his amazing career as an international rower - including being part of Steve Redgrave's team which famously won Gold (Redgrave's fifth) in Sydney in 2000. The quote above illustrates how Cracknell demonstrated Turnaround Toughness after having to deal with the disappointment of missing out on both the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics before finally getting his chance in Sydney. Mental Toughness Scenario 2: Laura - 28-year-old sales executive Laura is a talented salesperson who regularly exceeds her annual targets. She is a confident extrovert who loves the challenge of influencing customers and closing deals. Her interpersonal communication skills are very strong and she is highly regarded for her contributions to team meetings. However, next week Laura has to make a presentation to the senior management group for the first time. She knows that two of the executives to whom she will be presenting are well known for their harsh views about the sales team as a whole and although Laura has been performing well, she knows that this will not count for much in this particular situation. She is nervous about the presentation and is concerned that she may blow her opportunity for impressing the key decision makers in the organization. At the back of her mind she knows that she can do it but she is becoming increasingly anxious about all the things that could go wrong in the ten minutes she will be 'on stage' presenting. Laura is aware that her performance in this meeting will be closely scrutinized and that her reputation within the company will be significantly influenced by how she does. She has the ability to execute an excellent performance but she has to be focused and clear in the manner of her delivery. Laura needs some coaching on Critical Moment Toughness. This is the second part of the mental toughness model and it is about nailing something within a specific performance context. The golfer sinking the final putt to win on the 18th green. The footballer drilling the penalty kick to win the game. The tennis player serving an ace to save a match point. It's about holding your nerve under pressure. It requires clear thinking and a positive focus. You don't necessarily have to deliver anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes it's simply delivering your normal thing under more demanding circumstances. In sport we sometimes talk about the 'clutch' situation and the fact that it can separate champions from contenders. As Simon Barnes wrote in The Times in 1995: The classic example is the two foot putt. Even the non-golfer can knock in two-foot putts. But could we do it for a bet of a...