The business world is in the midst of extraordinary change. Great leaders will come to the fore. They will be recognised for overcoming adversity with confidence and for rebuilding purpose for their organisations. They will need to take stock, scan their environments for possibility and use this information to bypass cultural paralysis and fear. To achieve this, they will require significant energy, both mentally and physically, to achieve the focus necessary to adapt and flex. They will require a Peak Performance mindset worthy of an Olympic athlete, a great statesman or a new generation of leader who is strong, visible and resilient enough to deal with the uncertainty and unpredictability that lies ahead.

Behaviour change is a subject that has been extensively discussed. It is, after all, the tangible barometer that keeps us adapting to an ever-changing environment. Yet, the very nature of this dynamic means that we are constantly having to shift from one intervention to another. Just as we start to see the fruits of our labours a new initiative is introduced which sets us in a different direction and starts us again from scratch. Change fatigue is common in the 21^st century. Mindset, however, is more constant. It is also more fundamental. And yet it remains invisible to us, only accessible through thought and feeling. Ethereal concepts like ‘confidence’ and ‘fear’ shape our social, political and financial landscapes without being used directly to our advantage. This illustrates the importance of understanding it and wielding its significant power for change.

What then are the core aspects of a Peak Performance mindset? The ingredients are actually quite simple, with techniques to create them which take 10 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. First and foremost, elite mindsets move towards success rather than away from failure. It is amazing how many constructs in life set us up to move away from failure with poor track records of success. For example, ‘weight-loss’ programmes that ‘move away from fat’, sports coaching focused on ‘eliminating errors’ and a National Health Service terrified to ‘make mistakes’. What this creates is a culture of anxiety and fear which in fact exacerbates the chances of errors occurring on a frequent basis. Disaster is at the forefront of our minds and excellence is somewhere lost in the ether. Consider the difference if the targets in these examples were set explicitly towards excellence…what might the impact be? In a Britain focused on mediocrity, this is a dynamic worth shifting.

A second key characteristic of an elite mindset is the ability to draw on positive imagery and memory to inform decision-making going forward. Generally, elite performers have a clear bias towards supportive and relevant information, combined with the ability to disregard redundant or unhelpful data. Their memories are disposed and trained towards identifying opportunity or, in the case of threat, navigating it resourcefully. They are not panicked by adversity or uncertainty; rather they thrive on it. Consider the following example: What were you doing on March 8^th 2003? No idea? Maybe a vague recollection of a place or job, or relationship, at most? Unless it’s a key birthday or anniversary, the likelihood or remembering detail is slim. But how about September 11^th, 2001? The vast majority of people can recall intricate details of the events of that day, with precise clarity, from nearly 10 years ago. Why?

The answer, of course, lies in the emotional significance that we attach to such a catastrophic event. It imprints it permanently into our memories, making it accessible with the slightest effort. This has clear implications for how we handle crisis. If we deploy our memories to focus on every worrying headline, every negative trend, every signature of this downturn, then that will become the reality that our leaders live. They will even attract information that supports their dire prognosis directly to them. But this cycle can be reversed. By investing energy and imagination into positive information, no matter how small it may be, the tide will turn. Over hundreds and thousands of iterations, our ‘desktop memory’ for ‘current reality’ gradually shifts. This is one route out of recession, as leader by leader, team by team and company by company, confidence is restored and growth is regenerated. Mindset is the starting point and training it effectively is vital.

Key Tips & Techniques:

1)     Look for the sun, not your shadow

-       move towards success, not away from failure

2)     Every man’s memory is his private literature

-       draw on memories for personal power, distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant

3)     Expect the best, accept the rest

-       create an optimistic outlook, identify opportunity and leverage it

4)     Good, not god

-       be the ‘good enough’ leader, do less better

5)     It is not the mind that doubts, the mind is doubt

-       disengage your restrictive brain, make sure you’re utilising your signature strengths

Nick Hastings is a consultant at YSC (www.ysc.com) – the business psychology company where he has helped develop the Peak Performance Leadership Programme. This is used at the individual, team and organisational level to foster confidence during turbulent times and to help leaders maximise their internal and external resources. For further information please contact Hanna Robinson on +44 (0) 20 7520 5563 or by email hanna.robinson@ysc.com.