Performance Breakthrough
Richard Young PhD
Performance Strategist | Speaker | Advisor | Mentor | Best selling Author |
Performance Breakthrough: 1st March 2023 - Biweekly newsletter
Growth for Performance
You may have seen a recent HBR article on Growth culture vs Performance culture (https://bit.ly/3kxP6or). We see both in high performance sport and each can produce a medal but one is sustainable and the other isn’t. We have a choice.
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In sport we have the old ‘no pain no gain’ vs the ‘gain and sustain’ culture. A growth culture in sport is one that prioritises individual and collective development, focuses on the process rather than just the outcome, and is a trusted and safe environment for people to experiment and take risks. A performance culture focusses primarily on achieving results and winning, often at the expense of individual development and well-being. You will recognise both.
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Research and experience proves that a growth culture is the key to sustained success in high performance sport. A study by C?té and colleagues in 2018 found that athletes who perceived their coach as ‘fostering a mastery climate’ (i.e. a growth culture) had higher levels of intrinsic motivation, greater enjoyment of their sport, and higher levels performance than those who perceived a performance climate. Research helps, but we know this from experience. Growth cultures grow people!
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The stories we here of abuse, trauma, burnout and bad sport experiences is, for some sports, generational. One new national team athlete I interviewed knew the culture they were walking into and said ‘yeah it won’t be a happy place but they know how to win’. Performance. But there is a better way, a bigger game we need to play. One that helps people become more not less. Thrive rather than survive. Fulfilled rather than ‘filled-full’ and burned out.
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In my ongoing work exploring the systemic differences between medalists and non-medalists (those capable but did not achieve) healthy systems produce healthy people and sustained performance. It is not about one medal but ‘systemic medalism’ I like to call it.
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A study by Gustafsson and colleagues (2018) found that athletes who perceived their sport environment as highly performance-focused were more likely to experience symptoms of burnout and distress, while those who perceived a mastery-oriented environment reported higher levels of enjoyment and improvement. More not less, and learning how to cope and adapt to stress not just accept it and and try to tolerate it.
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And Carol Dweck said; "a growth mindset is essential for athletes who want to reach their potential. They have to be willing to confront their weaknesses and deficiencies in order to learn and improve"; A growth mindset (people) is embedded in a growth culture (system), which prioritises learning and development for performance. Sport is about adaptation, learning, and accelerating our rate of capability. That is growth and that delivers sustained performance.
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You can hear the difference in the language in sports. The focus on short term (next competition, next Olympics) is performance. Sports that talk about the pathway for their athletes, coaches and support have a growth frame. The assumption is usually that performance=speed and growth=patience. Sports that have a proven performance system that they believe in have a competitive advantage for the longer game. They have proof and conviction that short term goals (next Olympics) AND long term goals (e.g. 3 horizons ahead) can both be achieved. Those sports that are not clear on what matters, have a cluttered system and a ‘winners bloat’ of many great ideas can only focus short term. Partly because it is the only way to manage the complicated environment they have created!
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They have built their performance focused culture. And we can help unbuild it and shift the compass! From what I have seen in growth cultures, energy is higher, conversation is deeper and easier, people are seen, they innovate, they learn fast, people are growing, there is clarity in what matters, and they are delivering in competition. Who wouldn’t want their kids joining a team like that!
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And for those of you with influence…..we can move the compass with a combined effort.
Sticks on fire!
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If this sounds appealing and you want to explore further there is a free webinar the end of the month (Breakthrough: sustained performance https://www.simplify2perform.com/free-resources)
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Onwards,
Go clear and go well.
Richard
For more….
To find your breakthrough to sustained performance :
- 2022 Masterclass Series (Reply to find out more)
- Intro webinar each month.?https://bit.ly/35I5Fqk
- Free summary papers on?www.simplify2perform.com
Badminton Coaching Consultant
1 年I like this topic! Everything we do needs to be about pushing boundaries and making progress, however small and specific! For those that don’t know me, I’m from badminton and have previously worked in England, Aus and NZ as a National Coach of senior and junior performance players. I’m now working in Singapore where so much of the daily training around the Country is based on the traditional ‘no pain no gain’ principles. We’re gradually working to change this culture where hard work sits in unison with quality focussed training. Where players and coaches start to understand that not every session is about 1000 or 5000 shuttles - it’s about progression and specific developments to make a difference, pieced together into a focussed programme designed individually for the player. A small strong step forwards is better and more ‘sustainable’ than one step forward and one step backwards, however big! Reflection and reinforcement are vital because ‘you are where you are’ but need to focus on what to do to move to where you want to go!
Yes, the most important outcome is the reinforcing loop of a "growth culture." Wins and medals are temporary; growth is what endures.
Helping Executives Turn Data into Money | The Tara Kenyon Group | Analytics Consultant | Business Professor | TaraKenyonPhD.substack.com | Creator of the "Data are Sexy" podcast.
2 年The ‘gain and sustain’ culture, Richard Young PhD. Love that. Says so much more than the old 'no pain, no gain' mantra. Thanks for your newsletter.