The Business Olympian Book
Resources
Within the book you will find referenced to various questionnaires. Below are links to the same questionnaire with programs which will allow you to score them automatically.
Learning Style excel scoring template
Concentration Style - mini TAIS profile.
Full TAIS profile
Tiger Woods stands on the first tee of the US PGA. It’s a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, a brisk wind is blowing left to right (at around 6kph, so his caddy tells him), He has 4 full days of golf ahead of him and if he wins this tournament it will propel him further ahead in the rankings cementing his number one spot and further solidifying his claim to be one of the all time greats. Last night he received a call from his manager informing him that all the paper work was through on his new house and that the manager was negotiating a new sponsorship deal which would be quite lucrative. So, back to the first hole – how is Tiger concentrating and what is he attending to.
As shown in the figure below, concentration is split into 4 distinct quadrants.
Quadrant 1 represents a focus on the external world and from a broad perspective. This focus is usually used in situations where you are observing your surroundings – as well as seeing, hearing, and feeling them. Tiger is standing on the TEE, he is likely observing the hole, where the bunkers are, what the length of the grass is, how fast the wind is blowing and its direction, and where he would like his golf ball to land. The key element here is to ensure you are looking in the right place. Once you have surveyed your surroundings you then shift into the second quadrant, which requires a more internal focus, but still in the broad sense. During this phase you will be deciding on the most appropriate action to take, and what tools you might use. This is the problem-solving quadrant. Tiger will be looking at his bag and the clubs he has, he will be contemplating the type of shot he will be playing and how best to utilise the elements. During this phase you may utilise information you have gained from previous occasions and mix it with on the circumstances currently presented to draw some logical conclusions. Having a look at old videotape may help as well as discussing tactics with team-mates and coaching staff. Moving into the third quadrant maintain the internal focus of attention but moves to a narrow focal point. During this phase you have decided on the best option and are rehearsing it in your mind – this may sound like a lengthy process, but experienced athletes will only spend a second or two in this phase during a game. Tiger will have his club out, he will visualise the shot in his mind and may even have a practice swing. He will address the ball and again will be rehearsing the shot in his mind and ensuring his mind is clear. This stage is needed to enhance your awareness of aspects of your body’s reaction to stress (tight muscles, too high heart rate etc.) Once you have negotiated this phase, moving into the fourth quadrant requires your attention to shift from internal to external, while still maintaining a narrow point of reference. This allows you to execute the task without being distracted by your surroundings or by moving back into other quadrants. Here Tiger begins his swing, maintains a process like approach and will hit the ball without allowing his attention to shift back to quadrant one. The error most individuals make is that half way through the shot they revert back to examining the environment and allowing self-doubt in, and with it goes their concentration.
So how do you concentrate under pressure - Email us organise a full TAIS profile and receive a full written report as well as a complete debrief with one of our trained consultants.
