7 Work-Life
Balance Secrets of Elite Champions... and You
Guest blog by Nick Le Clere, strategic change consultant and facilitator, executive leadership coach, trainer, innovator and speaker, running online webinars and learning events for conscious business leaders of the future www.nextlevelconsulting.co
Hooray for our Team GB Olympians! What truly outstanding
performances from so many, to win 67 medals in all. 27 Gold, 23 Silver and 17
Bronze - wow, truly amazing.
Wonderful timing for putting the heart and self-respect
back into Great Britain, after Brexit as well.
How did that happen?
What did it take to create that level of success, both
individually and as a team? What did it take, to peak at the precise time, for
the maximum Olympic effect?
Well for sure, the athletes didn't just roll up to Rio
and get lucky. They did not drive themselves to the edge of insanity, just
before the Games and hope to pull off a coup. They did not pray for miracles.
They knew they could do it, deep down inside themselves. They were ready.
Many of the athletes talk about planning for this event
for many years beforehand. Some deliberately missed other competitions like the
Commonwealth Games to be able to retain absolute focus on Olympic Gold in Rio
2016.
All the while, training relentlessly and building their
mental commitment, emotional resilience and self-belief levels to astounding
levels of positivity and self-assuredness.
Also receiving the help and support of coaches, mentors,
physios, trainers, families, friends and of course Lottery Funding.
The support these athletes have received has been planned
and organised since the Lottery Fund was first started in the 1990s. That’s the
kind of long-term planning, organising and consistent investment in the
environment and infrastructure that has been going on behind the scenes for
years. Not to mention the ongoing benefits of the London Olympic infrastructure
created previously.
What can you do for you, to nurture your high
performance?
What can we take and apply from this amazing Olympic
lesson in discipline, commitment and resolve, to be the best you can be, on
your particular stage?
Beware of over-commitment. Be fully aware of what you say
yes to. Don’t try to do everything and wear yourself out.
Make time for urgent and important activities and
delegate as much stuff that you don't like doing as possible. Keep your edge
sharp, not blunted on trivia.
2. Manage your
down-time as well as up-time
Sporting legends look after themselves and know how to
relax and switch off. Plan and organise your time with your own rest and
recovery cycles in mind.
Burn out = no medals at all. Give yourself priority among
the ever-increasing workload.
3. Build high
quality support systems
None of the Olympic athletes could have achieved what
they did without full-on help and support over an extended period.
Ask for help. It’s a sign of strength not weakness, if
you want to win the big stuff.
Balance your work, rest and play time, and actively
schedule these things in your calendar, if necessary. Look at your eating and
drinking habits and make more healthy choices.
4. Get a coach
and/or mentor
Get yourself a coach and/or mentor with whom you really
connect and bounce new ideas around to raise your game.
Most athletes have more than one coach - areas covered
include winning mindsets, self-belief, various capability sets, energetics,
optimising emotional content, and work-life balance.
Coaches help you see what you can’t yet see or what’s
staring you in the face while you look around everywhere for answers. They help
you create new pathways for high performance and wellbeing.
5. Stay grounded and centred
It’s far too easy to lose your centre and sense of self
under intense pressure. Sustained exposure to pressure and stress creates
fatigue and leads to deteriorating performance.
With both stress overload and fatigue, simple things
start to become difficult to achieve consistently and self-mastery goes out of
the window.
Finding ways to relax and come back to your centre, say
through visualisation, meditation or taking regular time in nature to soften
your focus and create harmony within, is time well spent in the pursuit of high
performance.
6. Stay positive
and focused
While easier said than done, when under pressure, if you
feel overwhelm approaching, the best thing you can do is stop and breathe and
take a time out.
Stepping back helps to refocus your attention on the
bigger picture and create an opportunity for positivity to be reclaimed.
This can be hard when in the thick of challenging
situations, but at the first chance you can, create, pull back and evaluate as
an observer and notice new ways of doing things entering your perceptions...
You can do this and still keep your eyes on the prize!
7. Manage
expectations
Rome was not built in a day. Olympic medals are not won through
short-term effort cycles.
Be honest with yourself, and others around you, about
just what is possible. Get used to saying no, if things feel wrong.
By saying this, you may be able to create new ways of
approaching things that you feel more able to say yes to. Practice discernment
and be aware of how much pressure you put on yourself and its effect - positive
or limiting.
Too much pressure over extended periods is madness and no
medals come from that choice or habit whatsoever. Unless cultural insanity is
the prize.
And finally…
Be kind to yourself, especially if no-one else is being
kind to you.
If this is your normal working environment, and work-life
balance is not possible in your team or business - then it’s time for a change.
If you don't put your work-life balance first, no one
else will.
So it’s up to you - how badly do you want the end prize?
What is your Gold medal event, at your own lifetime
Olympic Games?
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