By Sam Maniar
As I mentioned in my first blog entry, my background is in sport psychology. I often get asked about the overlap between my previous role as a sport psychologist and my current role at PRADCO. So, today I’d like to discuss the similarities between successful athletes and successful business people.
Successful athletes must possess some key attributes in order to succeed:
Drive
Ambition
Goal-Directed
Focus
Discipline
Confidence
Mental Toughness / Resilience
You can probably see where I am going with this. These same characteristics apply to successful people in business—whether they are an administrative assistant, engineer, salesperson, manager, or executive.
Athletes are always looking for a way to get an edge on their competition. For the most part, they all practice the same amount of time, they know the same drills, and they have access to the same resources. But sound mental training (i.e., sport psychology) can often make the difference between a winner and a loser. Therefore, many athletes utilize sport psychology techniques on a regular basis, such as:
Goal Setting
Imagery/Visualization
Relaxation Training
Thought Management
Pre-Performance Routines & Plans
These same techniques can help a non-athlete become more successful in business and life. For example, there are countless studies documenting the performance improvement that comes from spending 5-10 minutes a day visualizing an upcoming competition. So, my question to you is: How often do you visualize important meetings or events in advance? My guess is not very often. Think about the performance improvements that could occur. It could make the difference between you and your competitors, or even between you and a peer going for the same promotion.
Sports can be a great metaphor for business, but we can and should apply more than just a story about a favorite athlete or team. If you want to get an edge on your competition, utilize some of the same techniques athletes do.
That’s all for now. For the month of May, I’ll be passing the PRADCO blogging reins over to Dorne Chadsey, who I’m sure will inform, entertain and amuse you with his insights.
Posted by PRADCO 
