Mind Games

What makes a winner - in business or in sport? Why do some people consistently break sales targets, cross the line first, or hammer the ball in the net with pinpoint accuracy? Natural talent and disciplined training are vital. But with two equally matched professionals, something else makes the difference that provides that extra, champion factor: the mind.

Mind Games looks into the mental processes of sporting stars, identifying the attitudes and approaches that enable them to achieve peak performance every time and applies them specifically to the world of business. What are the key mental characteristics that make some people come out on top? How do winners channel adrenaline into controlled power while losers choke? What do sportsmen and women mean when they talk about 'the inner game', being 'in the zone' or being 'in the now'? What is it that coaches do to realise the potential they see? What are the lessons that business winners need to learn from sport’s superstars?

Mind Games has the full involvement of over 30 sporting household names, including Sven-Goran Eriksson, Matthew Pinsent, Clive Woodward, Nick Faldo, and Jonny Wilkinson. The authors draw on extensive first-hand experiences of acknowledged sporting champions across a range of sports, identifying personal techniques proven to have worked under the pressure of top-level competition. They also draw on the expertise of professional coaches and psychologists who have worked with sportsmen and women.