When I mentor a person or a group it is vitally important I watch very carefully how the instruction or advice is interpreted. For the past twenty years I didn’t get paid a dime unless I created a performance improvement in a team or individual. Most of the payment structure as a golf instructor is based around the clients, I am here, where can you get me? philosophy; so in essence, no improvement in the client….no upside for me. It’s called reality, and I find myself wishing our politicians were compensated using the same premise of performance-related pay!
Sometimes a unique situation can arise. This generally happens when the client has executed the plan about as perfectly as one can but the results are lackluster or not up to expectation. This happened to me only yesterday when I was due to fly to London. Upon arriving at the airport in plenty of time, I was informed by the clerk at the desk that my flight was three hours delayed, meaning I would now comfortably miss my connecting flight to the UK.
Now I can tell you there are three human responses that occur during times of a failed expectation (I expected to fly to the UK that day) and subsequent frustration (yes, I was hot under the collar).
The first response is well documented in my keynotes… it’s called: seeing the truth for what it is. When faced with a situation that is entirely out of your control, but directly affects you, what can you do? Nothing is the answer. So change your perspective about it by seeing the truth in the situation. After this moment of acceptance get ready for step two….
Step two is the lifeblood of every high-pressure performer: breathe. Yes folks, the very thing you carry out unwittingly every day holds the key to restoration of equilibrium in times of disappointment. By inhaling to the count of three and exhaling to the count of five, the brain slips into an alpha-wave cycle, the most powerful yet mysterious brain cycle we know about. Powerful, because it blankets you in a calmness and relaxes your heartbeat. Mysterious, because it has the unique capability to marry clear intentions with bodily responses. When you breathe and visualize…your body delivers.
Step three is to reframe, decide what you need to do and execute. When a top performer hits a slight trough in performance, it is this reframing that navigates him or her back onto the right track. Steps one and two walk you out of the ill-tempered fog, step three activates a new direction.
So, the next time you hit a wall built by factors out of your control, follow steps one, two and three to get yourself back into a resourceful state.
The best laid plans do go wrong for everybody some of the time, but it is your response that ultimately switches it back into your favor.
All the best,
Nick