As I watched the 2010 Winter Olympics this week the athleticism continued to impress but what struck me, in particular as a coach, was the athletes’ pre-performance rituals.
Timothy Gallwey, (author of The Inner Game of Tennis 1987, The Inner Game of Golf 1981, The Inner Game of Skiing 1997 and more recently, The Inner Game of Work 2001) developed the formula p = P – I, meaning performance equals potential minus interference. Our minds can and do interfere to limit our performance.
Athletes know they must find the right mental zone, especially when under pressure. They must remove mental distractions and create intentional mindfulness.
The neuroscience behind this principle is that each neuron has a limited capacity for electrical signals (about 2,000 per second) so that the brain can be literally flooded by internally generated signals, making it harder to process external information. When one is mindful, one can recognize and control thoughts to create the ‘right’ mental zone for optimal performance or an optimal state of being.
The Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology by Schoenfeld and colleagues (2003) offers three central concepts relevant to sports and executive coaching:
1. Goal settting
2. Visualization
3. Achieving the zone – the right state of mind for peak performance
For Olympic athletes setting the goal seems clear and somewhat simple; it might be a specific time or score.
As I watched the Olympic athletes prepare for their events, I noticed many practicing visualization moments prior to their event. Sometimes they even added physical movements and mantras to deepen their visualization practice.
Did you know that the pathways in the brain that we use to undertake an activity – for example, figure skating- are the same pathways used when we merely picture the activity? In both instances, the visual cortex – the part of the brain that sees – is activated. Because use of any circuit strengthens that circuit, rehearsing a performance in the imagination can prepare mental circuits in ways similar to the real performance.
Likewise, in coaching executives for a performance or event, visualization is a powerful tool. Visualization that is correct, precise and repeated will have the greatest positive effect on performance.
To achieve the zone for peak performance, whether you are an athlete or executive, controlling thoughts or a state of mindfulness is required. Through repetition, professionals hardwire an activity so that it becomes automatic. In this way it frees the mind; it requires less conscious effort to execute. Top professionals also develop the mental discipline to keep out unwanted thoughts and remain focused on the task at hand.
Remember p = P – I. Performance equals potential less any interference. Highly successful professionals, in the corporate or sports world, have developed the ability to prevent fears, doubts and distractions from getting in the way of peak performance.
Watching the Olympic athletes prepare is a great reminder of the powerful role goal setting, rituals, mindfulness and visualization play in winning the Gold!