Dec 09, 2023 10:00:00

What is the way to train 'mental toughness' and become an elite?

Chester Grant, who runs a blog that summarizes and explains books related to economics and management, has published a book on ``

mental toughness '' to create a mindset and mental state that is successful in business and sports, `` HBR's 10 Must Reads on.'' This page summarizes the main points of ``Mental Toughness ''.

Summary: On Mental Toughness by Harvard Business Review - Chester Grant
https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-on-mental-toughness-by-harvard-business-review

Mental toughness is used in sports psychology and business settings to refer to the mental strength, strength of will, and psychological resilience that allow one to cope with difficult situations without losing confidence and lead to success. . 'HBR's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness' is a selection of articles published by Harvard Business Review in the past, such as ' self-motivated resilience in business ' and ' stress is... A book that collects articles such as ' It's a good thing if you know how to use it .' The book's introduction explains, 'We have selected the most important articles to help you develop mental strength and resilience and achieve high performance.'

Mr. Grant explains ``mental toughness'', which is the theme throughout ``HBR's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness'', in the form of a summary of the book.

・01: When making the impossible possible, what stands in your way may be your self-limiting thinking patterns.

・02: If you don't get used to stressful situations, you won't be able to stay at the top.
The ability to remain calm under fire is an elite trait, often thought of as something innate. However, in reality, pressure is the driving force that drives you to perform better than you ever imagined, and in that sense, you should be able to like pressure. To achieve this, first of all, passionate self-improvement is necessary.

・03: The ability of sports stars to bounce back from defeat often comes from focusing on long-term goals and aspirations.
The trick to focusing on your long-term goals and aspirations is to first carefully plan your short-term goals. And it's important to adjust your performance so that it peaks during big events rather than small ones.

・04: Take advantage of competition
A common practice among track and field athletes is to have elite athletes from different countries practice together. They have the mentality to place themselves in stronger competition and take advantage of it. If you want to get to the top, you need to train with rivals who put you under intense pressure, just like top athletes do.

Great companies consciously create conditions where elite employees can push each other up. Many companies implement ``human resources development programs'' that gather talented people within the company and provide intensive training. Participating in a program like this should be one of your goals.

・05: Top performers ask for feedback
High-performing salespeople value feedback. In particular, there is a strong tendency to seek immediate feedback on the spot, and this attitude can be said to be an elite quality. Elites also tend to focus on celebrating successes and victories. Professional athletes who have reached the pinnacle or achieved a big goal often buy luxury watches or cars as a reward for themselves. These serve as reminders of one's accomplishments, symbolize one's efforts and dedication, and provide mental support.

・06: Learning from difficult situations
Recent research has shown that an individual's ability to find meaning in negative events and learn from even the most difficult situations is an important indicator and predictor of authentic leadership.

``Learned helplessness ,'' a mental state proposed in 1967, states that if a person or animal is placed in a high-stress environment for a long period of time, they will no longer make any effort to escape. Experiments on dogs, rats, and cockroaches have shown that when they experience a mildly painful shock that they can't control, they eventually just accept it and stop trying to escape. And while humans have been shown to have a similar reaction, about a third of both animals and humans do not become lethargic.

Research shows that people who don't give up tend to interpret setbacks as temporary, local, and changeable. The researchers concluded that this was due to ``optimism,'' thinking that ``it's just this and we can do something about it.'' Optimistic thinking can help protect people from learned helplessness.

・07: The true enemy of performance is not stress
In sports research, it is understood that it is not stress that inhibits high performance, but ``lack of recovery''. Stress itself is not a problem, but if it becomes chronic without recovery, it can deplete energy and lead to burnout and physical breakdown. This results in a significant performance drop.

・08: Body language affects emotions
In a famous experiment, actors were asked to express an ``angry state'' through body language, and their heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, skin reactions, hormone levels, etc. were measured while they did so. Afterwards, the actors were exposed to situations in which they actually felt angry, and as a result of performing the same physiological measurements, there was almost no difference in the measurement results. Great athletes instinctively understand this, and carrying themselves with confidence will eventually help them feel confident in stressful situations. Therefore, even in business situations, ``acting as if you are'' is important for mental toughness training.

・09: Stress improves us rather than weakens us
Other research has shown that people who incorporate the idea that stress is something that improves them into their lives have better work performance compared to people who believe that stress is something that debilitates them. were found to be associated with higher levels of symptoms and fewer negative health symptoms.

As a way to change your mindset to ``stress is something that improves us rather than weakens us,'' there are ``four perspectives'' when looking at situations that are likely to increase stress. The first is when we are in a crisis situation, we try to ``control'' the situation and try to improve it, rather than identifying the cause. Second, instead of thinking about the cause or responsibility, think about the ``impact'' of the situation, the positive effect it has on you. Then, consider the ``scope of influence'' and ``duration'' of the situation or cause, whether it is limited or temporary, or whether it will have a long-term impact on all aspects.

From these four perspectives, you can identify possible improvements and positive impacts, visualize them in concrete results and goals, and collaborate with other members if you are facing a wall as a team. We will face difficult situations. An important factor in creating strong mental toughness is a way of thinking that allows you to think about what you can do to reduce the negative aspects and what you can do to maximize the positive aspects in an unfavorable situation. .

・10: “Resilience therapy” to face stress
Resilience is a psychological term that refers to the ability to adapt your lifestyle to manage stress and worries and recover mentally in difficult or disadvantaged situations. Various studies on stress and trauma management have shown that writing down difficult episodes can improve an individual's psychological and physical well-being. Repetition is essential to acquiring new skills, so in order to acquire the ability of resilience, setting aside a time each day for 'resilience therapy' in which you answer questions about stress and trauma can improve your mental toughness. Improvement is expected.