I have now been watching the sporting excellence on display at the Olympics for some two weeks. With no apologies for returning to this for a theme – it is the greatest event on the planet at the moment and only comes around once every 4 years – I was particularly struck by a quote referred to by one of the commentators in the cycling velodrome I think from the legendary tennis player Billie Jean King. When players walk out into Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open, they are greeted by her iconic quote: "Pressure is a privilege." She actually went on to say “and champions adjust” see this US Open 2024 news article on the origins of the quote.
This is I suggest an apt analogy for our professional lives and its associated challenges where we constantly encounter pressured situations. But it is not the fact this occurs, because it will, but how like sports people we prepare and react. See this Harvard Business Review article How to Deal with High Pressure Situations at Work which comments “From studying for exams, to preparing for job interviews, to giving a big speech or presentation, it’s hard to conceive of any career-defining moments that aren’t peppered with pressure.” It then makes recommendations about how to improve your ability to deal with pressure, or at least avoid choking under pressure in critical career moments including:
We all get nervous (I am no exception) but we can turn the situation to our advantage. I was privileged to give a talk on latest developments in outsourcing at the ITechLaw European Technology conference in Stockholm back in pre Covid days in 2017. I was particularly worried about making the topic meaningful and interesting with all the other technology developments like blockchain going on at the time - and a great line up of other speakers from around the world. Then I remembered Bob Dylan had been awarded the Nobel prize for literature in Stockholm in 2016 (he did not turn up to collect it until sometime later!). So I started my presentation by standing silently at the speaker’s lectern with Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are A-Changing” playing for a couple of minutes. It grabbed the audience’s attention right away before I said a word and the rest of the talk was much easier as a result.
This article Understanding work pressure (definition, types and remedies) focuses on how to recognise and manage pressure at work. It interestingly distinguishes pressure from work stress, which effectively is where you exceed your ability to cope, with work pressure. It identifies pressure as “internal” or “external” and gives some examples like:
How these rowers cope with that intense pressure can make the difference between glory and failure. I think in work as in sport it comes down to attitude and approach - and also seizing the day – opportunities to excel don’t come round all the time.
As professionals, as athletes and indeed as people we are all privileged to participate to the full.
Kobe Bryant the American basketball player commented “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
While another legend in the same sport Michel Jordan advises “The only way to relieve that pressure is to build your fundamentals, practice them over and over, so when game breaks down, you can handle anything that transpires.”
And the football manager Jurgen Klopp shrewdly observes “The challenge is to stay cool enough to handle the pressure in the moment so you can succeed in the future”.
At the end of the day it’s all about attitude as Winston Churchill says "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
Ernest Hemingway provides an elegant concluding quote on this topic: “Courage is grace under pressure.”
This is I suggest an apt analogy for our professional lives and its associated challenges where we constantly encounter pressured situations. But it is not the fact this occurs, because it will, but how like sports people we prepare and react. See this Harvard Business Review article How to Deal with High Pressure Situations at Work which comments “From studying for exams, to preparing for job interviews, to giving a big speech or presentation, it’s hard to conceive of any career-defining moments that aren’t peppered with pressure.” It then makes recommendations about how to improve your ability to deal with pressure, or at least avoid choking under pressure in critical career moments including:
- Know your threshold - the first step to managing high-pressure situations is understanding your stress tolerance level. Practical tips for building self-awareness include getting feedback from trusted colleagues and friends, evaluating your performance under different degrees of pressure
- Identify your pressure triggers - there will be particular situations that evoke more negative reactions than others — and these are very personal and individual
We all get nervous (I am no exception) but we can turn the situation to our advantage. I was privileged to give a talk on latest developments in outsourcing at the ITechLaw European Technology conference in Stockholm back in pre Covid days in 2017. I was particularly worried about making the topic meaningful and interesting with all the other technology developments like blockchain going on at the time - and a great line up of other speakers from around the world. Then I remembered Bob Dylan had been awarded the Nobel prize for literature in Stockholm in 2016 (he did not turn up to collect it until sometime later!). So I started my presentation by standing silently at the speaker’s lectern with Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are A-Changing” playing for a couple of minutes. It grabbed the audience’s attention right away before I said a word and the rest of the talk was much easier as a result.
This article Understanding work pressure (definition, types and remedies) focuses on how to recognise and manage pressure at work. It interestingly distinguishes pressure from work stress, which effectively is where you exceed your ability to cope, with work pressure. It identifies pressure as “internal” or “external” and gives some examples like:
- having to deliver work to deadlines
- inconsistent demands (like incongruous performance expectations)
- having a manager who demands extraordinary performance
- Prioritise activities and expectations
- Set boundaries
- Take time to recharge
How these rowers cope with that intense pressure can make the difference between glory and failure. I think in work as in sport it comes down to attitude and approach - and also seizing the day – opportunities to excel don’t come round all the time.
As professionals, as athletes and indeed as people we are all privileged to participate to the full.
Kobe Bryant the American basketball player commented “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
While another legend in the same sport Michel Jordan advises “The only way to relieve that pressure is to build your fundamentals, practice them over and over, so when game breaks down, you can handle anything that transpires.”
And the football manager Jurgen Klopp shrewdly observes “The challenge is to stay cool enough to handle the pressure in the moment so you can succeed in the future”.
At the end of the day it’s all about attitude as Winston Churchill says "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
Ernest Hemingway provides an elegant concluding quote on this topic: “Courage is grace under pressure.”
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