By David Mezzapelle
I read a great article in the Wall Street Journal on Weds Oct 13 2010 regarding slumps at work and how they parallel slumps in sports. I thought I would post the highlights here and a link to the entire article.
Slumping at Work? What Would Jack Do How Nicklaus, Other Athletes Can Spark an Office Comeback
Few events rivet people’s attention more than a great athlete in a slump, from Tiger Woods’s lackluster performances on the golf course earlier this year to Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez’s drought before hitting his 600th home run. Even when the world isn’t watching, the same psychological hurdles trip up the rest of us, executives who aren’t making their numbers or producing enough good work on the job. At the office, people lose confidence, dwell on past mistakes, become anxious about every move and struggle to perform tasks they once enjoyed.
Putting on Your Game FaceSome tips on recognizing and improving the mental side of workplace performance.
Causes of Slumps in Sports and Work
• Fear of repeating past failures
• Dwelling on past mistakes
• Loss of confidence
• Overthinking the next move or play and choking or freezing
• Overtraining in sports, burnout on the job
• Forgetting your original purpose or attraction to your sport or job
• Constant destructive criticism by a coach, fans or a boss
• Resurfacing of past fears arising from psychological trauma or injury
Techniques to Change Negative Thinking
• After a mistake or failure, refocus immediately on a past success.
• Visualize yourself succeeding on the next sale, meeting, play or game.
• Record and refer to your past peak performances, on video or in writing.
• List your strengths and assets and refer to the list in stressful moments.
• Turn off your mind and focus on step-by-step processes.
• Use rest or relaxation techniques such as deep breathing.
• Surround yourself with encouraging people.
• Develop rituals to focus your mind in the present moment.
• Recall the original purpose or attraction that drew you to your sport or job.
• Work with a psychologist or therapist to identify causes of performance blocks.
Read the entire article by clicking here
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