Episodes

  • EP012 How To Build Self-Confidence

    EP012 How To Build Self-Confidence
    Nov 19 2022
    According to renowned social psychologist Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is "the belief in one's ability to achieve desired outcomes." This is an essential psychological concept to understand if you want to build self-confidence in your work, art, or sport. Self-efficacy is the foundation of self-confidence; it is what allows us to believe that we can succeed in any specific situation. If you don't have a strong sense of self-efficacy related to a given task, it will be difficult for you to feel confident in your abilities. In this podcast episode, I'm reading Chapter 3 of Stewart Cotterill's The Psychology of Performance and discussing the difference between self-confidence and self-efficacy. Throughout this reading, I interrupt the narrative to offer my own input, clarity on certain aspects, and tips and advice on how to build up your sense of efficacy. Join Peak Performer: https://theperformatist.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • EP010 Creating A Positive Workplace Culture

    EP010 Creating A Positive Workplace Culture
    May 4 2022
    In this week's episode of The Mental Game, I'm talking with Rob O'Donohue from Gartner Consulting on how to create positive workplace culture for small organisations. You'll learn in this episode that even if you are a solo business owner, you can begin to create the right workplace culture for the future. The seeds planted now while you build your business will be vital for positive workplace culture and growth later.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • EP009 The Ugly Face of Unethical Leadership

    EP009 The Ugly Face of Unethical Leadership
    Apr 24 2022
    Why do airline manufacturers hide potentially catastrophic faults from their customers? Why does big tech use behavioural psychology to take advantage of young developing brains? And why do car makers hide vehicle emission data from the public? At the core of these breeches, is unethical decision-making by business leaders with concern for profit at all costs. Unethical Leadership results from a skewed sense of priority, a heightened sense of self-importance, and
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • EP008 Self Determination Theory: How Motivates Really Works

    EP008 Self Determination Theory: How Motivates Really Works
    Apr 17 2022
    Self-determination is an important concept when considering the human motivation to work and perform. Self-determination theory (SDT) explains the human motivation, and according to Edward Deci, it is "the energy for action. It gets us up in the morning and moves us through the day". Motivation allows us to make personal choices based on survival, integration, and work with others and allows us to feel we have control over the direction of our lives. In this episode, we explore motivation to work from the perspective of self-determination theory and look at how internally generated motivation is healthier and more sustainable than externally generated motivation. In this sense, commanding our own work seems consistent with self-determination theory.
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • EP007 For The Prize or The Love of It

    EP007 For The Prize or The Love of It
    Jul 24 2021
    In the pursuit of success we can lead ourselves astray. Caught up in how we might be perceived, or in anticipation of the prize, we lose our focus. The work become less important that the material results. This is detrimental to high performance. High performance can only ever be seen in retrospect. In other words, it's only when the job is done do we get to see the fruit of our work. Therefore, we've got to get into the work for its own sake. Rewards will be a reflection of our degree of focus, of forgetting the self, of the self becoming absorbed in the work. All thought about our performance takes us out of the work. It is in the absence of self that success comes. https://humanperformance.ie/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    Less than 1 minute
  • EP006 Creativity & The Autotelic Personality

    EP006 Creativity & The Autotelic Personality
    Feb 11 2021

    In this episode, we will explore the autotelic personality and the aspects of the self essential for peak experience in work, sport and indeed life. We will also explore the nine optimal conditions for Flow according to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. High performance in all domains of work and play requires it, and the degree to which we may cultivate these aspects of personality will almost certainly influence our performance results. Want to become a better actor, writer, craftsperson, athlete or business person? Consider these 9 aspects of the autotelic personality and work consistently to build them in yourself.

    Read about The Autotelic Personality

    Support my work

    --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-mental-game/message
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • EP005 Becoming The Performatist

    EP005 Becoming The Performatist
    Feb 4 2021

    The Performatist is a concept of the individualised, yet universal self. It is that version of humanity that grows out of self-direction and autonomy. The Performatist is the one who makes a dent in their own particular corner of the world. Whether that dent is small or large is irrelevant. What is important is that we become the active agent in command of our own work and life experience. This is not a narcissistic, neo-liberal capitalist position that insists you must be the quintessential entrepreneur, take on the world and conquer it. In fact, in this philosophy, material gain and wordly recognition are secondary or even tertiary to the primary motivation. The Performatist is someone who is self-determined, self-directed, but humanistic and in tune to the impact of their actions on others. To The Performatist, there is nothing to gain except inherent enjoyment of the work, and no one to conquer except themselves. In this way, The Performatist is the one who follows their own path, not for success’ sake, but for the enjoyment of the work itself.
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • EP004 Developing Psychological Skills

    EP004 Developing Psychological Skills
    Jan 27 2021

    In today's episode, I'm exploring 5 key psychological skills of elite performers. Elite performers in all fields of work, sport, the arts, and beyond, possess psychological skills that enable their higher level output. Research reports that psychological skills training, comprising psychological techniques and strategies for self-regulation and mental preparation & recovery, is an essential component in high-level achievement. So, if we want to excel, we must adopt and perfect these mental skills. In this article, we will explore five important psychological skills, offer support from findings of empirical research, and suggest ways by which you can develop these skills in yourself. OK, let's retrain your brain.

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins