I am always asked when I tell people what I do, How can sport psychology be used in a business setting? Simple I say because in today’s competitive environments it is the same in the boardroom as it is on the sporting field. First is first and second is nowhere!! To win at sport needs the same skills as to win at work.
Firstly, sports psychology teaches athletes the power of using mental skills for performance enhancement and to acquire the competitive edge. These mental skills range from self-confidence to concentration to emotional control to mental toughness. We work on 12 mental skills to develop this psychological edge.
Secondly, sport psychology incorporates these mental skills into the training regime alongside physical fitness, nutrition, strategic sporting approaches and technical sporting skills.
Finally, sports psychology develops the individual or team to become the best that they can become but at the same time to embrace other parts of their lives for a balanced viewpoint on all other areas and for fulfilling enjoyment on an ongoing basis.
Business psychology needs this same approach; the ability to defeat an opponent; the determination to respond to setbacks; the substance to stay the course and the control of their personal lives away from the workplace. This makes for a productive and satisfied winner.
Yes but how do you know it works? Lets consider this…if we believe that a business person is an athlete in a suit then if we can show that psychological skills training improves athletes then we have the evidence. Take a look sometime at the sporting scientific literature and you will discover that there are controlled experiments all over the world in all sports covering all performance areas, every day of the week and it has been like this for over 100 years. The scientific evidence is there coupled with a wealth of empirical and anecdotal evidence.
Hope that answers your question
Geoff