Dr. John F. Murray shares the latest in sports psychology research and practice and gives his expert interpretation on how this can help.
Sport Psychology – Poor performance affecting confidence
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From A Sport Psychologist For Olympians
What we learned about performance readiness planning, rethinking positive thinking and building resilience to stress can absolutely fuel success in the realm of entrepreneurship. We spoke with Alex Cohen, who as Senior Sport Psychologist for the U.S. Olympic Committee has worked with many elite athletes. ‘ He then detailed how much of the underlying ideas behind that planning are based on 20 years of research by psychologist Dr. Gabriele Oettingen, who has completely reshaped how we should think about positive thinking. ‘ Cohen then put it in terms as it relates to the elite athletes he works with: ‘So a lot of people sort of think just think positively but they don’t always have a plan when things go sideways. ‘ He pointed out that the same goes for entrepreneurs who might have to pivot or find a meeting with potential investors going sideways. If you have to decide at the moment – are you going to have one or not – it’s too late.
You have to decide it ahead of time how you are going to react when that sort of internal challenge comes up. Writing out the if-then scenarios is a great way to keep it crystal clear in your head. ‘Thinking through these things ahead of time allows you to be more ready to make decisions,’ Cohen said. The routine carries over into the actual performance and knowing how you’re going to respond if something isn’t going as well as you desire. ‘If you go into that meeting or you go into a ski race, your expectation is that everything is going to feel great, so it’s easy to panic if things don’t feel great,’ Cohen said. ‘Often whether it’s public speaking or going to an important investor meeting or getting ready for an Olympic performance, we can become very self-conscious,’ he said. Then if you don’t get in your own way, it’s probably going to be pretty good.
DR. JOHN F. MURRAY’S TAKE: WHAT WE LEARN IN THE ARENA OF SPORTS CAN AND NEEDS TO BE EQUALLY APPLIED TO BUSINESS SITUATIONS AND CHALLENGES. IN FACT, BUSINESS OFTEN IS THE MOST COMPETITIVE SPORT BY FAR. THIS EXCELLENT VIDEO AND TEXT SUPPORTS THIS NOTION WHICH I HAVE BEEN PROMOTING FOR MANY YEARS. SEE ALL THE EXCITING UPDATES AT MY MAIN PAGE AT JOHNFMURRAY.COM AND THE DEVELOPING NEW SITE AT SPORTSPSYCHOLOGY.COM.