New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote a fascinating piece this week in which he talks about a book called The Mental ABC’s of Pitching by H.A. Dorfman. The article, and the book, are about the importance of focus and reducing extraneous thoughts when you are working toward an objective. It’s incredibly important for entrepreneurs to read Brooks’s article (ignoring his concluding paragraph).
The biggest problem I see in entrepreneurs is a short attention span and a propensity to get into the weeds. And I include myself in that group. It takes real concentration to focus smaller, like a good pitcher does. Brooks says, “When a pitcher is on the pitching rubber, Dorfman writes, he should only think about three things: pitch selection, pitch location and the catcher’s glove, his target. If he finds himself thinking about something else, he should step off the rubber.” A great metaphor for how to get things done as a business owner.
Another excellent book on the subject of focused thinking is S.C.O.R.E. for Life: The Five Keys to Optimum Achievement by Jim Fannin.The acronym stands for Self-Discipline, Concentration, Optimism, Relaxation and Enjoyment. Fannin has coached sports superstars and corporate executives on a system that has to do with reducing the thousands of thoughts that clutter our minds and training ourselves to visualize and focus on a few specific things. He calls this championship thinking. It’s a very powerful book and while I believe that the only system people can truly follow is one they invent themselves, you can pick and choose exercises from what Fannin offers and incorporate them into your life. Anyone thinking of undertaking an entrepreneurial venture is going to have to master being in the “zone” Fannin talks about, so if you’re possibly headed in that direction, check out the book.
Speaking of Fannin and his concept of championship thinking, the kind all leaders and business owners need, here’s a perfect example. In this year’s NFC championship game between the Giants and Packers, the game was decided by place kicker Lawrence Tynes, who kicked a 47-yard field goal in overtime to win the game for the Giants.
He did so after missing two other opportunities in the final quarter, either of which would have provided the game-winning points. So how did he feel going into the third attempt in the most important game of his life after missing two? “I felt good about all the kicks,” he said. “The operation on the second one obviously was not what it was supposed to be and I didn’t make a very good attempt at it.” Wow, he felt good about kicks that nearly lost the game! And notice how distanced he sounds, almost like he was looking at it from above. That objectivity and ability to distance himself from the immediate outcome, plus his ability to put a bad performance behind him when most mortals would have broken down sobbing, defines championship thinking. Think about that when you have your next difficult day in your business.
