| Some people in life are very fortunate. Their life | | | | Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam in golf, or Roger |
| paths seem to be laid out for them and all they have | | | | Federer or Maria Sharapova in tennis, and the list |
| to do is follow those paths. Others seem to struggle | | | | goes on, the person lights up. They know these |
| to find what they want to do in life and what they | | | | people are the highlight reels on ESPN's Sportcenter. |
| want to get out of life. I have been one of the | | | | They know that these people are at the top of their |
| fortunate ones. My path has unfolded before me at | | | | game. And so, when I compare something they did |
| every step of the way. Every bend in the road, | | | | to one of these great athletes, the business |
| every turn, has brought me closer to this moment. | | | | executives grow a little taller, gain a little more |
| Writing this book is the realization of a 30 year goal. | | | | confidence and motivate themselves to go out the |
| I studied to be a teacher, a physical education | | | | next time and do a great job. When they get these |
| teacher. I sought to combine my love and insatiable | | | | results, it also makes me feel good. |
| desire for sports with my equally strong desire to | | | | That's why I say this book has been 30 years in the |
| help people. That's why I originally went into teaching. | | | | making. I received my Ph.D. in 1978. I took a different |
| I wanted to help children develop a love of sports, | | | | path than most graduates with a Ph.D. in Sport |
| get healthier and grow up to be highly fit and fully | | | | Psychology. The majority of these graduates |
| functioning adults. It was a lofty goal and I was going | | | | became college professors who, after many years, |
| to achieve it. But teaching physical education was | | | | also started consulting with athletes and executives. |
| simply not enough. I realized I wanted more for | | | | They realized there was potential for practical |
| myself so I could give more to others, so I pursued | | | | applications of their craft. I, on the other hand, went |
| graduate degrees and received a Ph.D. in Sport | | | | right to work working with athletes and executives. I |
| Psychology. This helped me better understand what | | | | knew from my own experiences that mental training |
| people were going through when they were playing a | | | | played a crucial role in my own successful |
| sport. I wanted to know what was going on inside | | | | performances and I wanted to help others achieve |
| their heads so I could help them perform better on | | | | high levels of performance. Now that I had the tools |
| the field or the court. I wanted to know why there | | | | backed by research and the credibility of a degree, I |
| were ups and downs in their performances; why their | | | | was going to change the world. Unfortunately, the |
| attitudes and approaches changed from game to | | | | world was not ready to be changed so quickly. |
| game and day to day. | | | | While I was able to begin working with some |
| The degree in Sport Psychology was a tremendous | | | | athletes, most did not want the help of a mental |
| help to me in this regard. I am a helper, a counselor, | | | | coach back then. There was a stigma (some of it still |
| a mentor, a trainer, a COACH. Yes, I am a coach. | | | | exists today) to having someone help you with your |
| Professionally, I have taken my training as a teacher | | | | mind. It was fine to have conditioning coaches, |
| and transformed it into working with other types of | | | | strength coaches, position coaches, hitting coaches, |
| students- students in business and sports. I have | | | | any type of coach you can think of. But a mental |
| coached basketball at the recreational, high school | | | | coach meant you couldn't handle the pressure of |
| and college levels. I have officiated basketball at all | | | | whatever you were doing. So, in typical high-level |
| those levels also. I have had the pleasure or working | | | | athlete fashion where you keep going even after a |
| with entrepreneurs and CEOs. I have worked with | | | | loss or if you get knocked down, I turned to the |
| youth athletes, amateur athletes and professional | | | | business world. There, too, acceptance of the ideas |
| athletes. I have worked with students who were | | | | and concepts was slow, but not as slow as in sports |
| having academic problems in school to help them | | | | back then. Business executives were looking for any |
| perform better. In fact, I am still playing basketball | | | | edge they could get on the competition. Plus, ESPN |
| with athletes 20 and 30 years younger than me and | | | | and Sportcenter were beginning their meteoric rise to |
| they all call me coach, which is a sign of respect | | | | "world domination" in bringing sports to the masses. |
| (perhaps more for my age than my knowledge, but I | | | | So, I had a ready-made "collaborator" I could point |
| like to think it's the other way around). Even on the | | | | my executives to when I made the sports |
| courts today during the pickup games, I still coach | | | | comparisons. |
| teach. My path has led me (allowed me) to work | | | | Fast forward to today. Everyone you meet in |
| with thousands of people from all walks of life and in | | | | business will tell you that it is competitive, fast paced |
| many different professions to help them be better at | | | | and requires a high level of skill to succeed. Just like |
| what they do. This is what a coach and teacher | | | | athletes. And everyone in business is still looking for |
| does. | | | | that competitive edge. Just like athletes (and I don't |
| Throughout all my work, I realized there was a | | | | mean taking steroids or other performance enhancing |
| strong connection between business life and sports. | | | | drugs). And everyone in business is still looking to |
| In fact, there is a strong connection between sports | | | | achieve at the highest level possible. Just like athletes. |
| and life, in general. Anyway, as I continued to work | | | | And so, business people truly understand the |
| with people, the sports-business connection grew | | | | comparisons with athletes. So, whether I was ahead |
| ever stronger. Maybe it was because of my mental | | | | of my time or I just go lucky to go down my path, |
| state- the mind frames that I possess and use. | | | | the world is now ready for all business people to |
| Maybe those frames of mind were causing me to | | | | become executive athletes. |
| look for and find the links between business and | | | | That is what The Executive Athlete is all about. |
| sports. If that is the case, it is fine because the links | | | | There are so many similarities between executives |
| are truly there. | | | | who want to achieve high levels of performance and |
| I found this to be especially true in my work with | | | | top performing athletes. A forthcoming book that I |
| salespeople. Salespeople are definitely Executive | | | | am writing will take you there. You will go inside the |
| Athletes. They practice, they compete, they win | | | | minds of athletes and learn how they mentally train |
| some, they lose some, and then they do it all over | | | | themselves. You will learn how to apply those same |
| again. Just like sports athletes. In fact, I have found | | | | mental training techniques to yourself and your |
| that you can mentally train salespeople to be highly | | | | business setting. You will read about the close ties |
| successful by using the same sport psychology | | | | between business performance and athletic |
| techniques you use to train high level athletes1. And | | | | performance, and how to train like an athlete to be a |
| this is part of what led to this book. Years of | | | | top business performer. You will learn both |
| coaching, testing and training salespeople and other | | | | well-known and little-known techniques to achieve |
| executives to use sport psychology techniques to | | | | high performance2. |
| better their performances led to the same | | | | So, with a tremendous thank you to all my clients |
| conclusions. You can get measurable performance | | | | over the years who have allowed me to apply these |
| improvements if you treat and train business people | | | | techniques to help them get better at what they do, |
| like athletes. Furthermore, the business executives | | | | in both business and sports, I invite you, the reader, |
| love the analogy and the comparison. | | | | to join me as I continue on my path to helping |
| When I tell someone they succeeded at a task just | | | | people be more successful. I invite you to learn these |
| like Michael Jordan when he was playing basketball, or | | | | same techniques and become an Executive Athlete. |