Daniel McGinn is the author of the new book Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed. He is a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, and his work has appeared in publications including Newsweek and Wired. He lives in the Boston area.
Q: How did you first come up with the idea for this book?
A: The idea came from three different places. First, I
played high school sports—football and basketball. I wasn’t very good at either
sport, but I became fascinated by the things the players and coaches would
do—the rituals, the music, the efforts to amp up rivalry--to psych us up before
games.
Second, after I got into the workforce I would occasionally
meet former athletes who were now using some of these same psych-up techniques
before they litigated, or negotiated, or gave a big presentation, so I became
interested in how these techniques could carry over.
Third, I started working at Harvard Business Review, and I
began seeing academic research looking at how techniques like priming or
rituals could help people in professional settings (like before job
interviews).
So I decided to do a book looking at the science of what
actually works to get people get psyched up, and how non-athletes can use this
to prepare for make-or-break moments in their careers.
Q: You focus on people in a variety of fields. Can the
strategies you discuss in the book be applied across the board, no matter what
you're psyching yourself up to do?
A: In the book I argue that many professionals today are
working in jobs where specific events—a big presentation, a sales call, a pitch
meeting, even an important conversation with a boss—have more bearing on their
success.
Certainly there are jobs where every day is the same, and
there’s no particular need to bring your A game for some high-stakes event. But
I argue more of us are in project-oriented jobs, which frequently have these
moments of high stress.
In terms of the strategies, there are a wide variety of
techniques in the book. Not all of them will work for everyone.
For instance, some people are really good at using anger or
a focus on a rival to psych up; for others (including me), this doesn’t work
well. Music will work better for some people than others. The trick is to find
the tools or routine that work well for you.
Q: What have you personally learned from working on the
book?
A: I’m much more aware of what I do to get ready for
important moments at work. I focus on three things: Finding ways to increase my
confidence, reduce my anxiety, and manage my energy level.
Not all of these “performance” moments are dramatic or
public. For instance, before I sit down to write a challenging article, I will
do a few things to increase my confidence, such as looking back at my Greatest
Hits—an article I wrote years ago that I consider one of my best.
I even rely on a lucky object—a computer keyboard that was
previously used by Malcolm Gladwell. I don’t use it every day, but I used this
keyboard while writing the book, and I still pull it out when I’m on deadline
with an assignment that’s particularly high-stakes or stressful.
These are small things, and no one watching me can tell I’m
doing them. But I think they give me an incremental edge.
Q: Can you say more about the top three things you'd advise
someone to do who needed to prepare themselves for a challenge?
A: Find a routine that does three things: boosts your
confidence, reduces your anxiety, and helps you find the right energy level.
There are specific techniques you can use to do each of
these things. It might involve breathing exercises, or visualization, or it
might even mean trying beta blockers, a type of drug that reduces the body’s
reaction to adrenaline. Too many people stand around being nervous without a
plan for the last few moments before they perform.
If you have a routine and a plan, you’re increasing your
odds of doing well.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m busy promoting the book (so many podcasts, which are
great), and doing my daily work as an editor at Harvard Business Review.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I conceived of Psyched Up as a book for professional
people in traditional careers, but it’s also finding an audience in elite
coaching circles. Since it came out, I’ve been contacted by executives or
coaches from the NFL, the NBA, and top college basketball programs.
These people are discovering the book on their own, through
word of mouth, and several have been enthusiastically tweeting about it. I
hadn’t expected this, but it’s been gratifying.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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