So many leadership courses are based on the idea that to improve performance we must firstly sort our thinking out. So we focus on motivation, confidence, self-belief or ways of controlling or removing anxiety and stress. Sounds logical enough. The problem is while this approach makes such intuitive sense to us, the
evidence does not support it.
Our minds are expert problem solving machines which evolved to scan the environment for threat, propose hypotheses, and then prompt action to avoid, control, or get rid of any threats. But when we try to apply the same techniques to our own thoughts, beliefs and emotional states, the evidence is that we make the problem worse, not better.
In contrast, the alternative - psychological flexibility - gives people control over their lives, ironically by letting go of the struggle of trying to control their emotional states. It is the ability to focus on task-relevant stimuli while feeling negative emotions that drives better performance and reduces distress.
Our thoughts and emotions tend to be unreliable indicators of long term value. We have little control over them and they tend to ebb and flow – sometimes dramatically. If we trust our thoughts and emotions and act based on them, we can often overlook the more important, sustained patterns of action which bring true meaning, vitality and richness to our lives.
In people who lack psychological flexibility, it might be possible to see:
To build psychological flexibility, there are three skills which are trained:
In a nutshell, psychological flexibility enables people to focus and engage fully in what they are doing rather than getting pushed around by their thoughts and feelings and commit to doing what works more often.
So, how do you put this into action?
"I believe success is preparation, because opportunity is going to knock on your door sooner or later, but are you prepared to answer that?" - Omar Epps
Our minds are expert problem solving machines which evolved to scan the environment for threat, propose hypotheses, and then prompt action to avoid, control, or get rid of any threats. But when we try to apply the same techniques to our own thoughts, beliefs and emotional states, the evidence is that we make the problem worse, not better.
In contrast, the alternative - psychological flexibility - gives people control over their lives, ironically by letting go of the struggle of trying to control their emotional states. It is the ability to focus on task-relevant stimuli while feeling negative emotions that drives better performance and reduces distress.
In people who lack psychological flexibility, it might be possible to see:
- The same old strategies being used over and again while not achieving the desired result (eg working incredibly hard to ‘get things done’ so that family are cared for, even though that leaves the person with pain exhausted and completely unable to emotionally care for the family).
- People trying all sorts of methods to avoid experiencing something they don’t want (i.e. stopping all enjoyable activities because it increases chronic pain, or attending multiple treatments to get rid of pain, or only doing activities in a certain way to make sure that pain doesn’t become overwhelming)
- Carrying on with activities despite pain, but ‘enduring’ the pain and feeling distressed or under strain when doing so.
To build psychological flexibility, there are three skills which are trained:
- Increase awareness of the present moment. By increasing one’s sensitivity to what is happening in the present moment we can discriminate between what we observe with our five senses and what our sometimes unreliable (or autopilot) minds tell us is happening.
- Develop the ability to watch thoughts come and go, and then choosing which thoughts to act on. Rather than getting ‘hooked’ by difficult or disruptive thoughts. It is not about changing thoughts, but changing one’s relationship to them.
- Focus attention on what it is we really want to achieve. Increasing awareness of an individual’s values helps build motivation and enables people to take positive and sustained action, even when doing so is challenging.
These three skills help counter the factors that underpin poor performance.
So, how do you put this into action?
Sports psychologists emphasise the role of the ‘right mindset’ to athletes, telling them to clear their mind, be calm and confident, and to remember their successes. But the reality is that performers are just as filled with doubt, worry and negativity, as the rest of us, even at the elite level. Focusing on getting rid of those thoughts can:
- Be counterproductive – if the athlete tries to get rid of negative thoughts, research shows that thoughts can become more influential, not less, leading to even greater entanglement.
- Detract focus from the present moment –if the athlete starts saying ‘It’s OK, I’m a good kicker, take a deep breath, relax’, then they are not actually focusing on the kick, but on their thoughts.
In contrast, the skill of psychological flexibility allows you to be present and accept thoughts – to see negative experiences as normal, while being able to refocus your attention on your chosen behavior, giving you higher levels of motivation, task-focus, wellbeing and performance. Excerpted from Working with ACT
"I believe success is preparation, because opportunity is going to knock on your door sooner or later, but are you prepared to answer that?" - Omar Epps
