BMF All Industry Conference 2023 MENTAL
“IT HAD TAKEN 12 years in the making, and it really happened against some highly unlikely odds. The hard work, preparation, tears and tantrums had eventually paid off. I found myself driving in the World Rally Championship alongside the best drivers in the world. I cannot tell you enough how many times I was asked ‘what is it like being a woman in a man’s world?’ I never knew how to respond because I was in my world. I just wanted to be treated as an equal and compete, and for the most part I was, it was never a gender issue. I was in the world of amazing performers, and I thought if I could win something I would earn the right to be there. I had to understand what makes a winner. What was the difference between the people who constantly win and those who never seem to? What was the
TOUGHNESS
Penny Mallory spoke to delegates about how she became the first and only woman to compete in the World Rally Championship against all odds. Mallory attributes her success to ‘mental toughness’, a concept which can be used in all areas of business.
difference between the people who accomplish their goals and bounce back from disaster and the people who don’t? I found out that for every achievement you have made or ever will make, only 30% will be down to your skill, talent or intelligence. 70% of every achievement is down to our mental toughness,” said Mallory.
What is mental toughness?
Mallory said: “Mental toughness is perseverance, control and resilience. This is all the stuff you cannot touch, see or buy but it makes all the difference to how much you succeed in life. Your mental toughness will play a more important role than anything else you set out to achieve. You can do a great deal to develop your mental toughness every single day. Mental toughness is the
ability to manage stress, pressure, changes, setbacks and everything we have to deal with on a daily basis.” In her keynote speech, she highlighted four key elements of mental toughness – control, challenge, commitment and confidence.
Control
“Mentally tough people feel like they are in control of their life. They can design the course of their life and have a growth mindset. During the pandemic, everyone experienced immense stress, and I believe it was because nobody knew what would happen. Uncertainty causes stress, anything stressing you out right now is probably because you don’t know what the outcome will be. When faced with stress and pressure, mentally tough people approach things differently. They ask themselves great questions to be in control of themselves and the situation. What is great about this challenge I’m facing? What am I willing to do to make things go my way? How can I enjoy the process of making things go my way? We have thousands of thoughts daily, our thoughts have an impact on
how we feel, behave and our physical being. It all starts with our mental responses to situations that will determine our success. Even mentally tough people get knocked down by stress and pressure but adversity disruption can be incredibly useful. Following covid, for example, we had to innovate and change things remarkably quickly,” said Mallory.
Challenge
Mentally tough people see challenges as an opportunity, Mallory pointed out. “In order to face a challenge with some enthusiasm, you have to change your perspective and focus. While change is something that most people will resist, you will have to get out of your comfort zone and discover the unknown.”
Commitment
“What is the source of your success? What is pushing you through? What underlies everything you do?” Mallory asked the audience. “It is important to reflect because when things get tough you will find a way to get through if you are driven and understand why you are doing what you do. Commitment is your ability to set and complete a task. It’s easy to set a task but not so easy to complete it. I don’t believe you can have degrees of commitment; you are either committed or you are not. If you are not committed, you are preparing to fail. Communication is one of the best ways to keep your teams motivated. Help them to understand the part they’re playing and share the vision of the business. People will work harder when they understand why they are doing what they are doing.”
Confidence
“We would all like a bit more confidence but you can’t see it, touch it or buy it. You can however feel it and sense it. Humans will make a judgement about you based on your confidence in half a second. If you display confidence, people will trust you and trust is important. Every relationship you have with suppliers, clients, co- workers, friends, or family is based on trust. Mentally tough people have a high degree of confidence in their ability,” Mallory added. BMJ
July 2023
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