Romantic comedies, reality TV matchmaking shows, and sitcoms aren't just entertaining (to some). Here's a scary article that describes research on how popular media is changing the way we see love. For example, people who watch shows such as The Bachelor tend to believe in love at first sight and idealize love. In contrast, watching [...]
I have to admit that I used to be a fan of Malcolm Gladwell. I read his frequent articles in The New Yorker and several of his early books. I was initially seduced by his apparent breadth of knowledge, cerebral dexterity, and inviting writing style. But the more of his work I read, the more [...]
Skiracing.com just published the ski racing version of my Unified Model of Performance Psychology.
This video should remind us all what's really important in our lives and how we should spend our time. Happy Father's Day!!
An interesting article on the physiology of risk taking. The basic premise is that people are more likely to take risks when calm and relaxed and they become risk averse when under stress. This finding has real implications on performance in sports, business, and life in general.
An eye-opening article smashing the myth that early specialization in sports gives children a leg up in later athletic success. In fact, the research shows otherwise. Plus, early specialization in a sport results in increased injuries. These findings should be a wake-up call to parents who attempt to rush their children toward specializing in one sport in the [...]
A fundamental question I have been exploring in the 30 years that I have been working in the field of performance psychology is: What does it take to succeed? My life’s work has been devoted to answering this question so that anyone who is willing to pursue their dreams can find success. Yet, in recent years, I have [...]
A fascinating article about the impact of handwriting vs. typing on a keyboard. The research seems clear that handwriting has important benefits over keyboarding (yes, it is a verb now!). This despite the fact that increasing numbers of schools have stopped teaching handwriting after second grade and no longer teach cursive writing.
This post extends my discussion of Leader-as-Person by exploring the role that your mindset plays in how you approach your leadership. I define mindset as the attitudes, beliefs, and expectations you hold that act as the foundation of who you are, how you lead, and the ways in which you interact with your team. Your mindset is so influential because it determines how you think about and interpret situations, your emotional reactions, the decisions you make, and the actions you take. Your mindset directly impacts the quality of your relationships, the interactions you have, and the way you lead. It also sets the tone for your organization and determines the kind of experiences your people have in their work lives. Your mindset isn’t just a bunch of touchy-feely psychology and relationship stuff either. It also has a big effect on your company’s bottom line, setting the stage of its performance, productivity, and, ultimately, its profitability. Your goal is to identify and create productive mindsets that result in Prime Leadership. There are four mindsets that I believe are important to have to be the most effective leader you can be.
In my recent post, I argue that opportunity costs (time spent doing one thing is time not spent doing other things) may be the greatest threat from technology. A friend just sent me this video titled Look Up that powerfully demonstrates what we miss–life, love, beauty, opportunity!–when we immerse excessively in technology. Here are a few great lines [...]