The Science of Success Podcast

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Creating Nerves of Steel – The Science of Performing Under Pressure with Dr. Hank Weisinger

Lace Gilger
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In this episode, we go deep on the science of performing under pressure. We look at why some people perform under pressure and others don’t. We discuss the skill of flexibility and “fluid intelligence,” explore the differences between stress and pressure, look at concrete strategies for managing both in your life, and much more with our guest Dr. Hank Weisinger. 

Dr. Hank Weisinger is a psychologist trained in clinical, counseling, school, and organizational psychology. He is the originator of Criticism Training and the emerging field of pressure management. He is the author of several books including his most recent New York Times Best Seller How To Perform Under Pressure and his work has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, ESPN, NPR, and much more!

  • Feedback is a “bogus phrase” in the corporate world

  • The work on criticism and anger that Dr. Weisinger comes from deep clinical experience and informs his perspective on emotional intelligence

  • Emotional intelligence is not a new field - it’s been around for a long time - and yet most people don’t grasp the basic premises of emotional intelligence

  • Why do some people perform well under pressure and others don’t?

  • Why you shouldn’t focus on "Anger management “ - instead it's about emotional intelligence

  • Almost no one has a deep knowledge of emotional intelligence - even many so-called experts

  • Why advice doesn’t work and what you should do instead of giving people advice

  • You can’t criticize someone for something they can’t change - the goal of criticism is to create change - and sometimes people can’t change - sometimes the best way to create change is to change your own behavior

  • Telling people to change their behavior isn’t always the best way to create change - it’s often about being more flexible and looking for new avenues to impact their behavior

  • Criticism is not flaw-finding - it's about finding a way to help people 

  • Finding problems and flaws is easy to do - its hard to find a way to improve. You must always be improvement oriented. 

  • The power of “use this, or come up with your own” - help people don’t just point out only negatives

  • How can I communicate this information in a way that a person will be receptive to it?

  • Pay attention and you will see opportunities in everyday life to change people’s behavior 

  • A good key to developing the skill of criticism is how quickly you can recognize the defensiveness of another person and use it as a clue that you’re being ineffective and need to try something else

  • The faster your recognize that you’re being ineffective the faster change your behavior and create results

  • Why mental flexibility is one of the top skills of world-class performers 

  • What is “fluid intelligence” and how do you train and develop it?

  • There’s a big difference between a sports psychologist and a clinical psychologist 

  • "Nobody does better under pressure” - The edge is not in rising to the occasion 

  • It’s not about rising to the occasion - it's about limiting your downside and making sure you don’t choke 

  • In your pressure moments you don’t have to “rise” - just don’t do worse - and usually, your best is good enough

  • If you played your best and lost - don’t feel bad. You only feel bad when you play below your capability. 

  • Pressure is a villain in your life. There’s nothing good about it. The function of pressure is to weed people out. 

  • What is pressure? You're experiencing pressure in a situation where the (a) the outcome is uncertain and (b) its dependent on your performance. 

  • Stress and pressure are two different psychological concepts - you must treat them separately and handle them separately. 

  • Stress is about having lots of demands on your time and feeling overwhelmed. There are lots of ways to reduce stress. 

  • If you have to perform effectively under pressure 24x7 that's a terrible way to live

  • Evidence-based strategies for reducing the feelings of pressure during the moment

  • “Pressure anxiety” vs “performance anxiety” - what’s the difference and why is it important?

  • Pressure is a constant demand. 

  • You don’t rise to the occasion, you fail to the level of your training.

  • All you need to do is do what you’ve been trained for and TRUST YOURSELF.

  • Trust yourself and get out of your own way. 

  • The power of “procedural memory” 

  • Anxious thoughts can crowd out space in your working memory

  • How people perform under pressure is often about how they perceive the situation - do they perceive it as threatening or do they perceive it as an opportunity?

  • “Sure there’s pressure, just think of it as fun"

  • Cognitive appraisal - an important process that impacts how you evaluate the things around you

  • “Always think multiple opportunities” 

  • The more important you make something, the more you pressure you will experience, the worse you will do 

  • The power of minimizing and "under-exaggerating"

  • “Befriend the moment” - make it fun and challenging 

  • Don’t get over-attached to an outcome and define yourself and your self-esteem by your job performance

  • Homework: Literally write down your anxiety and you will do better in your pressure moments. Write them down and they will be less likely to surface during the moment of truth.

  • Homework: Affirm your self-worth before a pressure moment with 3 things that have nothing to do with your performance. 

  • Homework: Share your feelings of pressure with others. 

  • Homework: Anticipate what might go wrong during a pressure moment. 

  • 12 Hours of meditation creates material changes in your brain and makes it easier for you to relax on cue

  • Managing pressure doesn’t require to do anything new - it just requires you to do something different. 

  • Thoughts / Arousal / Behavior - All 3 Factors Interact with each other - pressure attacks each of those and harms your performance 

Thank you so much for listening!

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Show Notes, Links, & Research

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