In an article in the sports section of the Los Angeles Times newspaper on 12/27/15 titled "Changing their minds", Melissa Rohlin discussed how psychologists have become an important member of some National Basketball Association (NBA) teams by providing focus and relaxation. She noted how many NBA teams are "acknowledging the importance of the mental aspect of the game". I got to wondering. If this is true for NBA teams and players, might it not be as true for other sports organizations as well as business organizations? After all, professional sports teams are business organizations.
So you ask, what exactly might psychologists bring to organizations? There are at least six potential benefits:
1. Better understanding of yourself. How do you handle your emotions under pressure and in stressful situations? A psychologist can help you or those in your organization to understand your motives, limiting beliefs, and self doubts.
2. Learn how to relax and reduce stress. All organizations have deadlines and other forms of pressure, whether it's the last two minutes of a close ball game or a project presentation potentially leading to a contract. A psychologist can help increase mindfulness as well as teach progressive relaxation which assists you in becoming more aware of your body and situation. This reduces the usual escalating anxiety in pressured situations and fosters improvements discussed in the next benefit below.
3. Learn how to focus better. The more you are able to concentrate and focus on whatever you are trying to get done, whether improve foul shooting or attention to project proposal, the more you will eliminate or limit anxiety. A psychologist can assist with this task.
4. Keep emotions under control. As the pressure mounts in games and business ventures, it is not uncommon for individuals to become emotionally invested in the outcome and get into conflict with others. That conflict can escalate into counterproductive behavior taking energy away from the task. In sports contests, that involves fights and penalties. In business that involves preventable team conflicts about tasks and management direction. A psychologist can help you learn to recognize the emotional escalation, interrupt the physical and mental manifestations, and learn other productive ways to deal with team mates and business opponents.
5. Improve the team's functioning. When someone is going through an emotionally difficult time on your team, it is almost inevitable that it will affect the team. Others are not able to give their best performance because they're affected by the struggles of the other person. Those struggles can originate from inside or outside the organization. Whatever the origin, a psychologist can help the affected individual and the team figure things out.
6. Understand the perspective of others. In working with organizations over many years, I've heard many laments about the boss, coach, or supervisor who doesn't understand the person. A psychologist can help you consider other alternatives and perspectives, learn how to communicate more clearly and effectively, and vent to a neutral person.
That brings us to an issue discussed in the LA Times article. A psychologist is bound to confidentiality in treating the communications of those who confide in him/her. While some might question whether a psychologist paid by the team or organization might not reveal confidences to the employer, there is no indication that this has happened by reputable professionals. I remind you that psychologists are doctoral degree educated and licensed professionals who must answer to state regulatory boards. Most psychologists have lengthier training and experience in behavioral science than any other professional discipline. This provides them with a foundation of education and experience to be able to serve organizations well.
Increasingly, professional sports teams are recognizing that it is good business to retain the services of a psychologist who can bring the above benefits to their players and organizations. While the article was about professional basketball players, I have no doubt that such services would be of benefit to other major sports organizations, including the professional football league. For those players, the pressures of both performance focused on only 16 games per season and the risk for serious physical and mental injury from repetitive brain trauma and concussions highlights the need for assistance with some of the above issues. Business organizations also share many of the same pressures. It is time to place focus on the mental energy and well being of employees across the business spectrum.
As always, when you change your thoughts you change your results. This translates into improved performance.
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com