Olympic BrainPower

by Kim Dannies
July 2008

The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics are right around the corner. World-class athletes have spent the better part of their lifetimes preparing for a shot at the podium. Swimmer Dara Torres is my new hero; at age 41 she is the mother of a two year-old and is competing in her fifth Olympics. (Her first was way back in 1984!) Or how about another swimmer- Eric Shanteau- who learned he had cancer just a week before the trials and still managed to lock up an Olympic slot for himself? Why do some athletes rise to this elite level and others do not in a world filled with talented jocks? It got me wondering how they manage expectations and keep their heads together despite the constant pressures of performance, travel, and adjusting to new environments. According to Dr. Stephen Long, a sports psychologist from Colorado Springs, CO, athletes who most fully realize their performance potential exhibit certain core mental traits and behavioral patterns. Dr. Long studies the character qualities of high-caliber athletes, or "level six performers." Dr. Long uses a developmental approach versus a problem solving one (i.e. positive self-talk, mental rehearsal) for his program. He maintains that level-six performers are highly developed in terms of particular performance-relevant character qualities and that best way to become a high achiever is to develop these same traits.

Because Dr. Long consistently noticed that the most productive player wasn't necessarily the most talented player he was determined to learn why some athletes reach their full potential and others do not. I wondered what lessons we could learn from these super-performers to enhance our own workplace performance in our daily quest for success, so I read Dr. Long's book Level Six Performance: A Gold Medal Formula for Achieving Professional and Personal Success searching for clues.

Dr. long discovered that there were significantly more level-six thinkers at the Olympic level than at the collegiate level. "Therefore," he says, "If you want to compete on a higher level you are going to have to change the way you think. People at level 1-2 think in ways that severely restrict them and it is fear-based. At level 3-4 emotions dictate decision-making resulting in poor choices. People at level 5 have learned how to eliminate the psychological barrier to performance. At this level, emotion does not dictate performance. At level six, athletes have learned how to use their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions to enhance performance."

The good news is that Dr. Long believes these mental habits and behaviors are learned skills and available to all of us. If they are cultivated, along with a great passion for what you are doing, they can lead to Olympic-quality performance in all areas of life.

Here are the eleven basic principles. For more detail, check out Dr. Long's book.

Eleven Principles for Level-Six Performers
1. Learning over Ignorance. Improve steadily by looking for lessons in every experience.
2. Simplicity over Complexity. Focus on a few important things; keep goals to a minimum.
3. Proficiency over Incompetence. Never be satisfied with a performance; excellence begins with a level of dissatisfaction.
4. Excellence over Mediocrity. Excellence means extraordinary- don't be afraid to stand apart from the crowd.
5. Process over Results. Focus attention on execution instead of hoped-for outcomes.
6. Progress over Deterioration. A commitment to progress is a commitment to preparation.
7. Decisiveness over Vacillation. Clean up the framework with a clear vision: make effective decisions by clarifying vague distinctions.
8. Balance over Extremism. Family, financial, social, spiritual and sport. All aspects of life are important- the key is to create a system where each area supports the others.
9. Efficiency over Wastefulness. Improvement is a function of efficiency. Question preparation and procedures and look for opportunities to streamline and innovate.
10. Confidence over Self-Doubt. Level-six performers know how to build confidence even from failures. They examine and understand failure in a constructive way.
11. Humility over Arrogance. Too much pride will erode intensity. When intensity wanes, the edge is lost. Always maintain the "race from behind" attitude.