Investing in “Mental skills” & “The Power of the Mind” - With Gilbert Enoka | #002

The Shaun McCambridge Podcast

Gilbert Enoka has a long history of success as a mental skills coach with New Zealand’s corporate and sporting elite. He is internationally renowned for his 20 year history with the All Blacks, first as their mental skills coach and now as manager. He has been with the All Blacks for over 250 tests and during that time the team has won back-to-back Rugby World Cups, one Laureus Award (for the best team in the world), 17 Bledisloe Cups, three Grand Slams, seven Tri Nations and five Rugby Championships.

Gilbert’s Highlights

4:30 The fundamentals of a high-performance environment that endures

8:10 The Power of the Mind

11:45 Asking if the situation was dealing with you or the situation is dealing you.

12:40 Mental skills growth

16:00 Material benefits of physical fitness on mental health

19:50 Richie McCaw’s formula

23:00 Everyone has fear and nerves but it is how you deal with that

24:50 Getting out of your own way

26:20 Three things that leaders must have

27:20 Be where your feet are

36:10 Everyone has 2 lives. Your 2nd begins when you realise you’ve only got one.

39:40 Parallels from the All Blacks’ World Cup recovery to Business recovery from COVID-19

BIG PAUSE

31:45 Be at your best when your best is needed & not all moments in time are equal

34:15 Above and below the line thinking

43:30 Sustained success

45:45 Strategies to maintain and support psychological safety

50:40 Young kids using their mindset to enable them to be the architect of their “best life”

The fundamentals of a high-performance environment that endures

It is about understanding how to align people for a cause

The most successful centenary businesses are traditionalists; they understand the core of what they are about and they never mess with that.

They instead disrupt the edges and look at small incremental improvement without disrupting the core.

Understanding the core, preserving it and sending strategic disruptions around the edges.

The “Power of the Mind”

There are moments in time that are defining; there is no secret sauce to success but comforting the problems and sometimes the brutal reality enables you to deal with pressure.

Acknowledging the problem and ensuring the mindset is right is key. Skills set do nothing if the mindset is not right.

The key question to ask yourself is are we dealing with the situation or is the situation dealing you to you.

Mental skills growth

Starts with the leader and them understanding the importance of mental skills.

To build the team’s capacity to mentally handle situations is connecting training with resilience and putting it front and centre.

COVID-19 is the perfect situation to build mental strength and dealing with emotional stress.

Material benefits of physical fitness on mental health

Mental health is being challenged during this time. Physical fitness intrinsically connected to mental health and if you are not doing physical fitness your mental health suffers.

In your opinion why is R McCaw so successful?

Hardworking, humble, and authentic. He works on himself and his game which enables him to lead and inspire others. His behaviour is also reflective of this.

Cus D'Amato

“The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same thing, fear, but it’s what you do with it that matters.”.

Everyone has fear and nerves but it is how you deal with that

We all have a load that we can carry, the key is not to get stuck or break.

Getting out of your own way

There are moments that raise fear and if you can acknowledge it and then use your skills and talent that you possess more than often not you will succeed.

Three things that leaders must have

Wish big, have a back bone to front the obstacles and have fun olong the way.

Be where your feet are

Be in the present, not the past. Be in the moment is what matters and not what has happened before or that comes after; your action in the moment is what makes the difference.

When you connect moments together, you create momentum.

BIG PAUSE

Be at your best when your best is needed & not all moments in time are equal

It is most important to be at your best when it is needed and not all the time. There are particular moments when it is imperative.

Champion performers deliver in the big moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLqzYDZAqCI

It is one phrase that can really be used as a tool.

In a given moment you can interpret something either positive or negative and there are associated behaviours to each.

It isn’t about going below the line, but recognising when you do go below and use steps to get above it.

Everyone has 2 lives. Your 2nd begins when you realise you’ve only got one.

Sometimes we take things for granted and life is great but you can get exposed to an experience that changes your perspective.

It is a moment in life when you truly settle on and recognise what is important in life and what you are going to prioritise; this enables you to thrive not survive.

Parallels from the All Blacks’ World Cup recovery to business recovery from COVID-19

It is not about what the market brings but what you bring. The decisions you make far outweigh the situation.

Post the Rugby World Cup it was important that the team prepared both physically and mentally.

Talking about what energises you and what are you struggling with really helps. It enables you to identify situations that can bring stress.

You also don’t need to go far into the future and bring fear to the forefront. You need to instead focus on the now and what you can control.

What is expected form leader is judgement and not stamina.

Sustained success

The moment you think that you have made it, you stand still. You need to have a thirst to take people the next step.

Strategies to maintain and support psychological safety and connection ...