Looking for advantages

No great surprise to hear that Andy Murray has recently been using a sports psychologist and that, in Andy’s enthusiastic tones ‘it went well’.

There’s at least a couple of really simple messages here. Firstly, that if you want to improve, then anything is worth trying when looking for advantages, big or small.

Secondly, that performance psychology is hardly a wacky alternative but a fairly mainstream part of a development programme for many top athletes and business people looking for that extra something.

In the corporate world the focus remains largely on technical knowledge, skills and tactics, and the application of sound practices, such as thinking skills, are too often left to chance. For example people often know, through courses or books, the theories behind good planning, prioritising important vs urgent, delegating, not getting dragged into detail, eating well and sleeping regular hours, but they don’t always have the mental discipline or support in place to make the theories a reality.

So, if you’re looking for advantages here’s where the mental game comes into its own and can make a big difference.

What are you doing to make sure you do what you know?