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Why sports psychologist Dr. Peter Jensen works like he’s a smoker

We spend so much time worrying about things we have no control over. It’s like having the window of your house open in the middle of the winter you’re just wasting all of that energy, and for what?

Article by COURTNEY SHEA
From The Globe and Mail
Mar. 04, 2016
When elite athletes such as Brian Orser and the Canadian women’s hockey team want to get their mojo working, they turn to Canadian sports psychologist Dr. Peter Jensen.
The author of the recent Thriving In a 24/7 World says that when it comes to being your most efficient self, the rules are the same for executives and Olympians alike. Here, he shares some of the secrets to his own success, including why it’s a good idea to work like you’re a smoker.
Sooner or never: the guide to effective worrying
We spend so much time worrying about things we have no control over. It’s like having the window of your house open in the middle of the winter – you’re just wasting all of that energy, and for what? My mother was a very wise woman and she would always say, “Only worry when you think it will make a difference.” Sometimes when I’m worried about something, it’s a sign that I’m not as prepared as I need to be. That’s something I can take time to fix. Brent Sutter was an NHL coach and he used to say “Get afraid early.” He doesn’t mean that he wants his players to be scared, but just that if you’re going to be afraid of your opponents, it’s best to do that while there is still time to channel that fear and to improve your own game.
Make time for break time
When I am working, I take a break every 90 minutes or so. We need to get away from this idea that we’re marathon runners, because in reality, we’re all sprinters. After about 90 minutes of focused work, you’ve got to take the saw out of the wood and sharpen it again. Just this week I was speaking in front of a bunch of senior bank executives. I was talking about how the best way to recharge is getting outside. Just a 15-minute walk makes such a huge difference. I’ll get these looks like, “Come on – I’m senior vice-president, I can’t take time out for a walk.” I tell them that what they need to do is take up smoking – just not the smoking part. The point I’m making is that no matter how busy they are, smokers manage to find time for frequent, quick breaks and the reason they do is because, for them, it’s a priority.
Just breathe
The single most important skill I have learned is the importance of breathing. I meditate every morning. Years ago I was in this situation where I would constantly lose at tennis. I would be winning and then my opponent would start to catch up and immediately, my brain would fast-forward to hours later where I’m recounting the loss to other people … even though the game was still in play.What I realized is that your brain is going to do what it’s going to do, and the best way to control that is just to stop and breathe. If you can focus on your breath for just three or four inhales and exhales, it’s like pressing restart. You can escape whatever was going on in your head and then direct your energy toward the next steps.
Multitasking is a waste of time
There is research showing that only 2.5 per cent of the population works more effectively when they’re multitasking, and yet almost everyone seems to think they’re in the 2.5 per cent. Of course, it can be tempting to try to jump back and forth, so you have to take steps against it. I know that I am easily distracted, so I close my door when I’m working in my office. If I’m talking on the phone, I turn my computer off or when I’m working on my computer, I put my phone on silent. It’s basic stuff, but it makes a big difference.
No news, for a good snooze
I have an app where I track my sleep: how much I get, how much was deep sleep, how much was shallow. Most of the sports teams use sleep doctors now. We have realized that it doesn’t matter how much training you do; not getting enough sleep affects performance. I try to keep a prebed routine – devices turned off, keep lights down. I try to sleep around the same time every day. There is a professor at Harvard who teaches a course on happiness. He says that when you get into bed, a good idea is to just lie back and think about three great things that happened that day. They don’t have to be big things – even eating a delicious sundae – as long as they’re positive. I like that idea. I think a lot of Canadians like to watch the news before bed. They see all of these dramatic stories and disruptive imagery and they wonder why they might have trouble falling asleep.
This interview has been condensed and edited by Courtney Shea.

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How to run effective quarterly off-sites

Here is the top 10+ 1 ideas on how to effectively run your quarterly meetings. This is based on the work for the past 5 years with one particular leadership team, who have successfully held powerful and action-oriented quarterly strategic planning/actions/accountability sessions.

Here is the top 10+ 1 ideas on how to effectively
run your quarterly meetings.
This is based on the work for the past 5 years with one particular leadership team, who have successfully held powerful and action-oriented quarterly strategic planning/actions/accountability sessions. They have consistently delivered results that exceed expectations. Each quarter we asked ourselves what was working, what wasn’t and how to make them better. Here are the teams insights:
The Top 10+ 1
1. Great Leadership– It all starts at the top. A team is often only as good as its leader. Unless the leader is committed to building a strong team, focus on clear priorities and is committed to getting results, you might as well stop reading.
2. Right Bums in the Right Seats– Jim Collins nailed it. Teams go through many iterations. Getting the team right is an on-going effort. When the right team is settled, magic happens.
3. Meet Quarterly– Don’t fool yourself into believing you can meet once a year as a team and plan out the year and be good to go. It is not often enough. Meeting quarterly works.
4. Constantly Build Trust– Trust can be a slippery thing. You have to constantly hold it at the top of the agenda and make sure you are fostering an environment that builds trust.
5. Foster Debate– Great teams know how to debate and challenge each other. And they don’t take it personally.
6. Limit your agenda– Don’t try to do too much. Allow time to debate and challenge, and think and create and hold people accountable to the actions committed to at the last off-site.
7. Use a One-Page Plan– We use a modified version of the One Page Strategic Plan. At the start of the fiscal, we determine the Annual Focus areas, and determine Q1 priorities. Each quarter we then determine the priorities for the next quarter. The actions for each quarter and who is responsible are clear and documented so it’s easy to hold people accountable. Make sure the language is simple and clear – zero room for ambiguity. (Call me if you’d like to see a template).
8. Pre-Work Makes it Better– Pick your key issues for that quarter and send out advance homework. Ask for feedback and circulate in advance. This ensures everyone is already primed for the discussion. It also ensures that both your introverts and your extroverts get their ideas heard evenly.
9. Commitment and Consistency– this highly successful team meets quarterly, every single quarter without fail, to execute against their strategic plan. The dates are set in advance. The commitment for all team members to be there is expected. Being consistent works. Waiting a full year to bring the team together is far too long.
10. Getting the logistics right– Hold the meeting in a location that is off-site, spacious and conducive to good dialogue(this does not need to cost a lot. To save money this team now meets in the leader’s condo common room – great room, only $25.) ; take a break to eat lunch out, away from the offsite; incorporate a minimum 30-minute walk after lunch to re-invigorate the team and build trust through casual connections; turn off technology – make it a low-tech day. These are just a few of the logistical factors that make a fundamental difference to the success and energy level of the day.
11. Use a Facilitator/Coach– Sorry if this sounds self-serving, but getting help outside the team works. A great facilitator will ensure the agenda is both powerful and realistic; will manage the agenda and keep things on track; will pose provocative questions to get to better answers; will ensure everyone is heard; will call out unproductive behaviour; and finally, will take the pressure away from the leader to manage the meeting, and instead allows him or her to fully participate. If you can’t afford to pay for a facilitator, invite someone outside the team to take on the role.

Two people shaking hands during a business meeting.

Are you taking control of your personal brand as a leader?

What is your personal brand? How are you known? Is that how you want to be known? If yes, what can you leverage even more? If not, what are you doing that is diminishing your brand?

The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, July 8 2015
What is your personal brand? How are you known? Is that how you want to be known? If yes, what can you leverage even more? If not, what are you doing that is diminishing your brand?
In other words, what is your reputation? And if it’s not what you want it to be, then what are you doing to fix it?
Traditionally, when we think of branding, we think of products. From packaged goods giants like Crest toothpaste, Coke and Kellogg’s Raisin Bran; to Molson Canadian or Heineken; to the Ford Mustang and the Porsche Carrera; to the iPhone and Blackberry; products, not people, have traditionally held the territory called “branding.”
But it is an interesting concept to apply to ourselves as leaders. Just like famous brands like Coke, we are also known by certain attributes. And with the addition of technologies like Facebook, Linked In, Snapchat, Instagram, blogging, personal websites, and the media, the need to be crystal clear on your what your personal brand actually is – and what you are saying about yourself – is critical.
Think of some famous people, and you will get an idea of the power of personal branding. Hillary Clinton. Rob Ford. Elaine Dickenson. Gregor Robertson. Eugenie Bouchard. Bill Gates. Each of these people are well known – and they are known by the many things that make up their personal brands. They are known by their values, their passions, their interests, their strengths, their attitude, as well as their weaker areas and sadly, often by their mistakes. As Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon said: “A brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.”
Your personal brand should represent the value you are able to consistently deliver. To help you identify your personal brand and then set a plan to build off it, consider the following questions:
What are your values? Do you know? Do others know what you stand for?
What are your passions and interests? Do you pursue them or have they taken a back seat to the business of life?
Are you clear on your strengths and do you adequately leverage them?
Are you clear on the areas that are diminishing your brand? Do you have a plan to address them?
It is very powerful to know the answers, because that will allow you to leverage your strengths and values, and position yourself for the next big project or promotion. It will help you launch a business that is aligned with who you are, what you stand for and what truly interests you and then attract the right customers that believe in the same thing (think Mountain Equipment Co-op or MEC). It will help you land a coveted job when you can present yourself with confidence and deep self-awareness.
Only you can protect and nurture your reputation. Only you can decide what you stand for and what you want to align yourself with. Only you can choose your predominant attitude and bring it. Only you can really determine what your personal brand will be.
Katie Bennett is an executive leadership and team coach in Vancouver, and runs Double Black Diamond Coaching, an executive coaching firm.

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Will you make your third-quarter numbers?

The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, June 10 2015 Do you have a quarterly strategic planning meeting booked before the end of June? If not, book it now. Statistics show that summer is the least productive time of year. A Captivate Network study showed that “workplace productivity drops 20 per cent during the summer months…

The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, June 10 2015
Do you have a quarterly strategic planning meeting booked before the end of June? If not, book it now.
Statistics show that summer is the least productive time of year. A Captivate Network study showed that “workplace productivity drops 20 per cent during the summer months…attendance decreases by 19 per cent, projects take 13 per cent more time to complete and workers are 45 per cent more distracted,” according to a report in Business Insider.
If you don’t take a day out in the next month or so to get your entire leadership team on the same page for the next quarter, September will roll around and you’ll be wondering why you aren’t hitting your numbers.
Regular quarterly strategic planning delivers these benefits:
1. The leadership team is aligned around the same goals.
2. The most important issues are addressed. They do not fall off the agenda.
3. Each leader has their own clear priorities for the quarter.
4. The team is held accountable at the next quarterly meeting for results.
5. The work gets done.
Strategic planning is best done in an off-site venue. It does not have to be fancy or costly (one of the teams I work with holds it in the common room of one team member’s condo in downtown Vancouver, at no cost). The key is to get out of the office and eliminate distractions so the leadership team can really focus.
Ensure you have a very clear agenda that is not overly packed. Keep it simple. Check in on the progress from the last quarter, including action items and business results. Then move into a big picture discussion of the key issues facing the team this quarter. Then, as a group, pick the five items you will tackle. Finally, get very specific with what needs to be done and who will champion the work.
To pull off an effective full-day event, build in regular breaks to keep everyone’s energy up. Include healthy food, plenty of water and go for a walk after lunch to wake the team up and get everyone ready for the second half of the day. This may sound obvious, but it works. If you want to kill the day, just push through without a break and wonder why nothing productive was said or done after about 2 p.m.
Consider using an outside facilitator. Yes, this may sound self serving, but it works. A facilitator’s job is to keep to the agenda, interrupt any negative behaviours or tangential discussions, hone in on the key ideas and help build a stronger team by building trust and ensuring everyone is a part of the conversation. An outside facilitator also allows the team leader to fully participate in the discussion and not worry about things like time management, holding back or dominating the conversation.
If you are looking for a good resource, pick up Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish and look into the chapter about the One Page Strategic Plan. You’ll want to pare it back and simply focus on your key annual initiatives for the year, the priorities (he calls them Big Rocks) for each quarter and the relevant financials. No matter how you do it or what template you use, success comes by simply having the discipline to create a strategic plan on a single page, which gets everyone aligned, committed and into action around the same goals.
If you don’t have a quarterly half- or full day meeting booked before the end of June, do it now. Send out a meeting request and make it happen. In September, the numbers will speak for themselves.
Katie Bennett (@dbdcoaching) is an executive leadership and team coach in Vancouver, and runs Double Black Diamond Coaching, an executive coaching firm

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What are you going to do to finish big this year?

Did you know that there are more points scored in the NFL in the final two minutes of each half than the entire rest of the game? Why? Because everyone becomes laser focused on putting the score up on the board, so fewer distractions get in the way.

Did you know that there are more points scored in the NFL in the final two minutes of each half than the entire rest of the game? Why? Because everyone becomes laser focused on putting the score up on the board, so fewer distractions get in the way.
At this time of year, the distractions can pile up and focus can be lost so easily. Holiday shopping, holiday parties, visiting family. Or simply having the mindset that says “This is a slow time of year…I will wait until January.”
So, you have a choice. Be distracted. Put things off until the new year. Or “Finish Big.”
“Finishing Big” is all about making that final push before year end, and not letting the holiday season slow you down prematurely. It’s about setting yourself up for early success, so that you hit the ground running at the start of 2017.
I was in the car yesterday and an ad for a dentist came on the radio. The message was to book your dentist appointment now before any annual dental allowance in your company health plan might expire at year end. I was struck by how smart and simple this ad was. And how it can help a dentist’s office finish their year big, at a time when my guess is that they naturally slow down.
To avoid the holiday hangover and finish big in 2016, here are 4 strategies:
- Be crystal clear on what you will do (and won’t do) in the next 4 weeks. This will help limit distractions.
- Change your mindset. Some businesses naturally slowdown in December. (Think residential real estate. And Dentists.). But instead of “waiting” until January to call clients, reach out now and fill your calendar for early 2017. Who are the top 5 people you want to connect with?
- What are the two or three areas where you need to do a little bit more? What are two to three ways to do a little bit more in those areas?
- Use this time of year to build your “bank” with your clients. Give, give, give. Give away what you know, give away what you are good at, give away referrals. Keep asking your clients – how can I help you achieve your goals?
Go for some quick wins. The momentum these wins create will propel your forward.
So, what are you going to do to Finish Big this year?

At Double Black Diamond coaching we focus on 3 things:
- We coach difference makers. People and organizations determined to create positive results for their clients. For our country. For the planet.
- We work with executive/leadership teams to create highly functioning teams who can make that difference.
- We support these teams in 3 areas: one-on-one leadership development coaching; facilitated team off-sites to develop highly functioning teams; and quarterly strategic planning sessions where the emphasis is on clarity and accountability. This trio of focus helps clients knock it out to the park time and again!
All my best for the holiday season!
Katie

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Do you rub your staff’s noses in their mistakes?

I was reading the sports section of The Globe and Mail a few weeks back, and a paragraph struck me in the depth of its leadership insight.

The Globe and Mail, Tuesday, December 16 2014
I was reading the sports section of The Globe and Mail a few weeks back, and a paragraph struck me in the depth of its leadership insight.
The article was about up-and-coming junior hockey star, 17-year-old Connor McDavid. Apparently, he is the next big thing to hit Canadian hockey. Anyway, the story was about McDavid getting in one of his first real fights, and slamming his fist full force into the glass when his opponent moved away from the hit. Apparently, he will be out for a while with a broken hand.
But this story is not about McDavid, it’s about his coach’s response to a question from a reporter: “Asked if he would have a word with his player when he returns, coach Knoblauch smiled wryly and said: “He knows how disappointing it can be [to get injured in a fight]. I don’t think anyone will have to say anything to him.”
I don’t think anyone will have to say anything to him.
In other words, the consequences of his actions are already big enough. Nobody needs to rub his nose in it.
What great leadership words to live by. Leaders, and team members, need to know the right mix of positive and negative feedback to provide.
A Harvard Business Review article written in March, 2013, entitled The Ideal Praise to Criticism Ratio by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, who head up Zenger/Folkman, a leadership development consultancy, concluded that to improve a team’s effectiveness, (as measured by financial performance, customer satisfaction and 360 feedback by team members), the ideal ratio of positive to negative feedback is 5.6 to 1. For every one time I correct you, I need to tell you almost six times what a “great job you’re doing,” or “what a good idea” that is. Otherwise the person – or team’s – effectiveness suffers.
“But even the most well-intentioned criticism can rupture relationships and undermine self-confidence and initiative. It can change behaviour, certainly, but it doesn’t cause people to put forth their best effort. Only positive feedback can motivate people to continue doing what they’re doing well, and do it with more vigor, determination, and creativity,” they write in the column.
This is not suggesting we gloss over the constructive criticism needed. We all need to hear when something is not working, or we are off track, or missing deadlines, or not achieving our goals. But it must be balanced with a greater emphasis on the positive, to keep people inspired and motivated.
So, how are you doing as a leader? Are you emphasizing the positive more than the negative, or vice versa. Do you know?
For the first two weeks of January, keep a running tally of positive compared with negative feedback to evaluate your own behaviour. Or ask someone to do it for you. Be sure to notice what biases you hold, and see if you are better with some individuals than you are with others.
You can also do this with your team – the next time you go into a meeting, simply keep a running tally of how the team talks to one another. Is the team positive and supportive of each other, motivating each other to have more creativity and determination, or through too much negative feedback are they in fact undermining each other’s confidence and eroding drive?
Ultimately, set a goal of altering how you give feedback to strive to achieve greater productivity by achieving the ideal 5.6 to 1 ratio.
Katie Bennett is an executive leadership and team coach in Vancouver, and is president of Katie Bennett Coaching