Performance Breakthrough

Performance Breakthrough: 16th March 2023 - Biweekly newsletter

Shiny Eyes

Anti-fragility is a term coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and a concept that describes the ability of a system or individual to improve and thrive under stress or adversity. A bone gets stronger with stress. The Masters in high performance get stronger with stress.

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Gallop research proves meaningful lives are stressful. And life is a non-stop navigation through roads and trails we have potentially never been on to a place we have never been before. Like a puzzle with no picture on the box. That is high performance.

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And to breakthrough from Expert to Master (which is within the power of every expert) anti-fragility is a key learned skill to make good choices along the path. When athletes, coaches and the system they are in get stronger with stress then every road in front of them is possible. Less avoidance, less rumination; we see the road ahead for the power it brings rather than how it may make us feel! Anti-fragility as a belief and ethos brings freedom, empowerment opportunity and innovation.

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And when we see this in young people as Benjamin Zander said (Boston Philharmonic) we see ‘shiny eyes’.

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And shiny eyes do not come from the easy path but the passion path and our ability to cope with what is infront of us. No matter what the circumstance.

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There will be examples of outstanding anti-fragility all around you. Anti-fragility done well is systemic. Meaning you are personally responsible for your own capability to cope but the system you are in is a supportive enabler.? Many performance systems are a demotivating disabler!? And medals still happen but at a big cost to sustained performance and shiny eyes.

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Henning and Frenkel (2021) explored the role of organisational factors in the long-term development of anti-fragility among elite athletes. They found the importance of organisational culture, leadership, and support structures to build anti-fragility in people. No medal is won alone and no anti-fragile person did it alone!

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What does anti-fragility and skilful coping look like in your system? If you are in sport what is your selection policy, your hiring/release process, injury management, celebration, welcomes, communication, reviews, hierarchies, family involvement etc. As a thought experiment, if you personified your ‘system’ how would you introduce it to others? Would you be proud of its ability to contribute to the right decisions, help make people become more not less, and enable skilful coping capability in the team. Or is it the guest that always shows up but is never really welcome.

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I was with a coach this week who told me his athletes are ‘thriving’ in life. That is shiny eyes! Skill-full coping.

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We in sport have the spotlight firmly illuminating the next event but when we lift up our gaze and floodlight our performance system (people, places and things and how they interact)…do you see a system with shiny eyes? Is it enabling people to build the anti-fragility muscle or instead layering more stress, clutter and confusion on your people and waiting to see who survives.

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Anti-fragility is well-being in action and vital for the systems in which they operate. I see sports defining wellbeing in primarily two ways: healthy habits (healthy body, healthy mind) and a life well lived (meaning at work and at home). I see in the highest caliber teams and sports a third level of wellbeing I call ‘Performance Wellbeing’ and that is the people and the system are performing well in each moment. Skilful coping no matter what.

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We see two main culture choices in high performance sport: a culture of performance (win, lose, excellence, work, success) and a culture of growth (empowerment, curiosity, learning and progress). Growth pays attention to the process. Performance pays attention to the result. In a growth culture areas of low coping are noticed, they stand out and the system responds, supports and adapts. In a performance culture all eyes are on the objective and areas of low coping are camouflaged in the busy ‘no pain, no gain’ culture. Those who aren’t coping are often too buried in a busy system to get noticed and too nervous to raise their hand and stand out as ‘non-performance’. In a growth culture they will raise their hand loud and clear as they stand out to themselves and others as a learning opportunity for growth and change.? Performance wellbeing.?

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And shiny eyes.

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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

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