Corporate leaders need the same degree of mental resilience as top athletes. Knowledge and skills are not enough, they also need the ability to face the pressure and stress of competition, fatigue and failure. Six basic elements of mental resilience include:
Flexibility - A mentally resilient leader is able to respond to the current situation and decide quickly how to get back into the game.
Openness - A mentally resilient leader is able to remain engaged under pressure. He is constantly looking for opportunities and challenges in his environment.
Strength - A mentally resilient leader finds the power to continue although the game seems to be lost.
Courage and Ethics - A mentally resilient leader is able to make the right decisions for his organization even if they are difficult.
Toughness - A mentally resilient leader is able to cope with disappointments.
Sportsmanship - A mentally resilient leader is willing to fight and believe in victory.
The development of mental ressilience has the same principles for athletes as for corporate leaders. Therefore, let yourself be inspired by a few recommendations from the filed of sport.
Forget the home run
Excessive focus on an ultimate goal, such as a home run in baseball, reduces the chance of success. It is more important to focus on the process of how to achieve it.
Keep your eyes on the ball
Learn to control your tendency to get distracted and always concentrate on the one task before you.
Be your own referee
Specify your own borders to maintain productivity. Search for the balance between work and family.
Rest between workouts
The ability to relax is an important mental ability. Fatigue leads only to the loss of productivity and engagement.
Listen to your body
Athletes who do not listen their bodies end with unpleasant injuries. Health impacts can be caused by excessive amount of time devoted to work, too.
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