As the Summer Olympics are well underway in Paris, the pivotal role of psychology in performance is undeniable. Mental toughness, mindset, and motivation are as critical as physical prowess, significantly influencing outcomes. Similarly, in the workplace, psychological factors impact performance at all levels.
Self-awareness—and awareness of others—is the cornerstone of improved performance. This awareness drives our cognitive-behavioural processes, enabling us to manage our attitudes and behaviours and reach our full potential.
Here are five actionable insights from elite sports that people professionals and managers can use to enhance performance in the workplace.
- Develop the Human Being First
Just as in sports, people in the workplace must understand their unique blend of values, behaviours, and characteristics before making significant decisions or changes. This self-awareness canset individuals apart and helps them build better, stronger relationships. Developing this awareness is a skill honed over time, essential for athletes aiming to elevate their game and managers striving for better performance.
- Understand and Nurture Strengths (as well as Weaknesses)
In both sporting and professional arenas, there’s a tendency to focus heavily on addressing weaknesses. While of course it’s essential to improve in areas you struggle, maximising your strengths—or areas of potential strength—can provide a decisive advantage, setting you apart from the competition.
Often, in sports and work, once we feel capable enough to meet our goals, we stop improving our skills and rely on our existing toolkit to deliver results. However, refining skills from “good” to “excellent” is just as crucial as developing skills from “zero” to “good.” Continual improvement in areas where we already excel can significantly enhance our performance.
For instance, developing presentation skills should be as important for those who feel comfortable presenting in front of a crowd as it is for those who prefer a smaller audience. Similarly, perfecting a backhand in tennis or a left-footed strike in football should be prioritised equally for those who find it easy and those who do not.
- Acknowledge the Impact of Environments
Recognizing where people excel and where they struggle is vital for growth. Optimal conditions can bring out the best in individuals, while challenging environments offer rich learning opportunities.
For instance, an athlete might perform well in training but struggle with negative self-talk during competitions. An employee may feel confident in their expertise but struggle to express this in front of an audience. By becoming aware of and addressing these challenging environments, strategies can be developed to overcome them,helping to optimal performance.
Athletes and professionals alike can work on mental conditioning to manage negative self-talk in a competition setting, incorporating visualisation techniques, mindfulness, and positive affirmations into training routines.
Professionals can engage in public speaking training to build confidence in front of large audiences, practice in smaller, supportive settings before moving on to larger audiences and seek feedback from trusted colleagues to boost confidence.
- Focus on Making Small-Scale Changes
Heightened awareness enables you to discern blind spots and avoid triggering negative reactions, while also identifying small actions that can instantly motivate team members. In both sports and work environments, where success often hinges on the finest margins, paying attention to these small-scale changes can make a significant difference.
It’s often the small adjustments that have the most significant impact on team performance. In sports, a slight tweak in technique or strategy can turn a close game into a decisive victory. Similarly, in the workplace, a minor change in workflow or communication style can lead to increased productivity and morale.
- Embrace Compassion as the Heartbeat of Your Teams
The world of sport is particularly known for being cut-throat and ruthless at points in pursuit of success. However collective well-being over individual pursuits must be paramount.
Success is about more than just being a stellar player, team member or coach/manager; it’s about embodying the essence of humanity. Acts of kindness and compassion, whether it’s supporting a struggling teammate, providing the tools and environment for enabling success employee as a managerserve as the glue that binds a team together.
Take for instance the gold-medal winning Brownlee brothers’ display of humanity, when Alistair – on his way to winning gold in the World Triathlon Series in 2016 – stopped to carry his brother Jonny over the line when his legs started to fail him.
Looking at the example set by Alistair Brownlee, it’s hard to deny that the bedrock of all good relationships and strong teams is kindness. In the case of the Brownlee brothers it was a willingness to forgo solo pursuits for the good of the collective.
Investing in the ‘softer’ skills of human performance has a clear, positive impact on both individual and team performance.
Whether aiming for sporting or workplace success, these actionable insights can help HR grow and develop their teams to gain that winning edge.
