93. How a business athlete prepares for competition

To bring her whole self to the game, the business athlete Stays physically fit, flexibility, strength, cardiovascular fitness – because in long days at work, physical fitness supports mental alertness She insists on getting enough sleep She practices some form of mindfulness, to remain centered in the midst of inevitable crises She finds a coach who will help her keep improving her game through deliberate practice She puts time into mastering the basics until they become automatic - She studies the competition to understand their moves She regularly reviews, with an objective lens, her own performance, identifying what went well and what can be improved She is motivated not by standing on the medal podium, but the satisfaction of performing at the highest possible level She compares herself, primarily, not to other athletes, but to her own performance yesterday She looks out along the full arc of her future career, and not just to the next competition. She phases out from her life acquaintances who are a drag on her energy rather than a contribution to it Thanks to Michael Feiner, who, in his course "High Performance Leadership" at Columbia Business School, introduced me to this concept of the business athlete.