What Athletes Can Teach Executives About Self-Examination
At the highest levels of sports, coaches and players put a lot of effort into their game, both on and off the field. In fact, some of the most important work they do is studying themselves and their past performance. Under the guidance of their trainers, athletes undergo self-examination and trial-and-error strategies for improvement. Part of that process is examining replays from previous games or practices to spot strengths and weaknesses, both as individuals and as a team.
Performance Review
As business executives, I believe we should be doing the same. Luckily, technology provides us with plenty of footage and access to our “performances.” AI programs are built into our video calls and can take detailed meeting minutes. Presentations and educational sessions are recorded and stored for employees to watch at any time. These are all readily available resources that we can use for self-examination.
I also recommend that my clients acquire a personal journaling habit. Even just a few sentences at the end of the day can provide great insight into our thoughts, our interactions with co-workers and our progress. Over time, a journal can help you objectively recognize habits or patterns that are often enlightening.
Focus On A Few Areas
While self-evaluation is key to progress, the trick is to not get overwhelmed. Nit-picking your entire performance is never helpful. Instead, my clients and I focus on one or two areas in which they would like to improve.
For example, a basic exercise to improve one’s public speaking is recording a practice presentation, with just the speaker and a camera. You run through the presentation and then watch it back. This practice can be incredibly revealing. Perhaps you notice that you look down and read from your notes way more than you thought. Or perhaps you use a lot of “filler” words such as “like,” “umm,” “so,” etc. to fill in extra space. Perhaps you fidget from side to side, which can distract from the message that you are trying to convey. Or perhaps you notice something as simple as a bad hairstyle that falls into your face.
These types of exercises can be painful. Admittedly, I cringe when watching myself on camera, and I dislike doing it. But it can be enlightening, helping me better understand how others may see me and what bad habits I might not realize I’ve picked up. However, when conducting this type of exercise or anything similar, focus on only one or two specific aspects that you would like to improve. Watch – or read – with intention. Focusing on small changes one at a time will feel much more achievable than changing everything all at once.
Celebrate Progress Rather Than Perfection
Secondly, make sure to honor your progress. Rome was not built in a day, as they say. A key step in improvement is recognizing and applauding small steps toward the ultimate goal.
Let’s say you ran through the public speaking exercise and noticed that you were looking down at your notes 50% of the time you talked. You focus on cutting down on looking at notes—aiming for about 10% of the time—and at a presentation six months later, you manage to only look at your notes for 30% of the time. That’s progress! Honor it, and appreciate how far you have come.
Final Thoughts
Evaluating our performances and noticing trends is an incredibly helpful tool in our leadership tool kit. Reviewing our work helps us honor our progress and keeps us on the path to continuous improvement. So don’t drop the ball. Take a cue from the pros and make time for self-examination.