It was 2012, Stage 18 of the Le Tour de France, about 137 miles, featured precision teamwork at its very best. If you are not familiar with the world’s premier road bicycle race, a total of 22 cycling teams take to the European streets and mountain highways in a vicious duel that requires each rider to reach into the depth of their soul to compete at the highest level, a total of 2,173 miles over 20 riding days.
Even though the annual Tour event features four individual classification competitions, including an individual overall winner, every Tour de France rider will tell you this bike race is a team sport FIRST.
As I witnessed the final mile of Stage 18, including the complete domination by the overall classification leader/wearer of the yellow jersey for 14 days straight, Bradley Wiggins, to set up his teammate Mark Cavendish(The Missile) for the win, it become crystal clear that team Sky Procycling is by far the superior TEAM in the 2012 Tour. My best description for team Sky Procycling is a DOMINANT MACHINE. It struck me that the teams “mental game” must be a fascinating study.
The mental game is so critical to any team, sports, business, family or otherwise.
Here’s a few thoughts on the mental game I recently learned from my study of a top mentor. Please implement if any item listed below makes sense and, of course, share with anyone you know. As leaders, it’s OUR responsibility to make a difference:
Create a Brain-Smart Work Culture
- As the leader of your company, you should realize your most important resource is the health of your employee’s mental game. Make sure you incorporate mind-healthy guidelines at work
- Start with nutrition. Don’t invest in unhealthy food for your team while at work, provide brain-healthy, nutritional drinks and foods to help them be more productive
- Encourage exercise. Some meetings can be walking meetings
- Get people engaged in the mental health as a group because people tend to get better together
Four Essentials to Always Be at the Top of Your Game as a Leader
1) Sleep – it’s vital to get enough sleep to function at your highest level. When you don’t get at least seven hours of sleep, you have bad decision-making capability.
2) Exercise – this benefits your mental game by increasing blood flow and raising serotonin levels. Walk like you are late for 45 minutes a minimum of 4 days a week. Add weightlifting 2x week and something new to challenge your mind when time allows
3) Activity – Whenever you learn something new, your brain makes a new connection. Become a lifelong learner both physically and mentally
4) Food – Healthy mind nutrition is critical. Food can make you focused, vibrant, happy and trim or unfocused, sluggish, sad and overweight.
Develop Resilience
If you want to be resilient-an essential characteristic of a preeminent leader-you must boost mental reserve and have specific stress management practices. Here’s five easy ones to start with:
- Claim personal control. You’re in charge. Stop blaming other people for how your life is turning out
- Nurture your relationships because you become like the people you spend time with
- Focus on what you like about your life more than what you don’t like
- Be goal-oriented but remain flexible to change
- Counter the negative thoughts that can flood your thought patterns
Why do you need to be at the top of your game ALL of the time? See the PS below…..
To your Making a Difference, Being Unstoppable and Leaving No Regrets,
Mike Stromsoe
The Unstoppable Profit Producer
www.unstoppableprofitproducer.com
PS The game of life and business requires precision, laser focus. The message below was created after watching the “Any Given Sunday Al Pacino Pre-Game Speech” on www.youtube.com. Check it out.
Final words from Coach Pacino (with some Unstoppable adaptation):
Life is a game of inches. The margin for error is so small. The inches we need are all around us, every day.
But…You have to fight for that inch. Claw with your fingernails for that inch. So when you add up all those inches (on Dec. 31),it’s going to make the <bleeping> difference between winning and losing. Between living and dying.
In any fight (goal), it’s the guy or gal whose willing to fight—and even die—for that inch that’s gonna win (achieve your goals).
Are you willing to fight and even die for that inch? Because that’s what living is.
The six inches in front of your face (then the next six, then the next six).
Now I can’t make you do it. But look into my eyes (email).I’ll go that inch with you (inspire/mentor).
Do not heel. Fight.
That’s achieving. That’s living.
Now, what are you gonna do?