Several athletes made impressive comebacks at this year’s Winter Olympics, from gold medalist Alisa Liu’s triumphant return to figure skating to alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom victory after being disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Most of us can’t relate to the pressures of competing on the world stage, but there’s a lot we can learn from athletes’ resilience, says Dr. Cindra Kunhoff, founder of the Mental Strong Institute and a mental performance coach who has worked with Olympians, NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs.
Her goal is to help people perform at their best every day, whether they’re preparing for a playoff game or struggling to meet a tight deadline at work. “We need to use the same skills that elite athletes use,” she tells CNBC Make It.
When you experience setbacks or failures at work, Kanhoff recommends using a technique he calls “Learn, Burn, Come Back.” This is “the same thing I teach elite athletes who compete in the Olympics,” she says.
1. “Learn” from the situation
The first step is to figure out what went wrong, Kamphoff said. Her main question for clients who have experienced a career setback is, “What would you do differently next time?”
For example, if a client comes to her after fumbling through an important presentation, she says, “They might say, ‘I didn’t do enough research on the topic,’ or ‘I should have asked my boss what I really wanted,’ or, ‘I was so nervous before the presentation that I completely forgot what I was thinking.'”
Once you’ve identified a problem, Kampfoff recommends writing down the lessons learned and, importantly, letting it go. “Very often, people get stuck in a cycle of learning, learning, learning,” she says. “The important thing is not to keep blaming yourself or criticizing yourself.”
Rather than viewing the situation as a failure, Kamphoff says, we should reframe it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Maybe your next presentation will be even better, “because it didn’t go perfectly this time.”
2. Burn positive phrases into your mind
Kanhoff admits that bouncing back from a major setback is easier said than done.
Her advice is to “burn” positive phrases and actions into your memory so you can practice them when you find yourself in a spiral. For example, repeating the phrase “shake it off” and shrugging your shoulders.
“You’ll want to choose the same phrase or action each time, which strengthens new neural pathways and makes you less likely to overthink it,” she says.
According to Kamphoff, every time you mentally recall a mistake, it becomes ingrained in your long-term memory. By stopping the spiral of negative thoughts with positive expressions and actions, you’ll be able to commit something more productive to your memory, and you’ll be one step closer to putting that mistake behind you.
3. “Go back” to a positive mindset
Finally, take inventory of how you’re feeling, says Kampfoff. “Check your confidence level, check how you talk to yourself, check your body language.”
She recommends focusing on the positive outcomes and lessons learned from the situation. For example, “My boss gave me some tough feedback on this part, but I really liked the first 10 minutes. And instead of continuing to beat myself up, I’m going to focus on the parts that my boss really liked and increase my confidence.”
Above all, Kanhoff says, regaining confidence is about “relaxing your judgment and letting go of mistakes and disappointments.” “The sooner you can do that, the sooner you can protect your confidence.”
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