Bolt, one of the worlds' most celebrated athletes who still holds the title of the fastest man ever (running 9.58 seconds for the 100m), has started to show cracks in his seemingly impenetrable armour. Never more clearly than last weekend's World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, where in the men's 100m final he was disqualified for a false start.
With expectations high for Bolt to win he carried out his pre- race act, playing up for his legions of fans, joking around, psyching out his competitors. Yet seconds' later disappointment rippled through the crowd as the man they came to see was disqualified.
With less than 10 seconds to get your performance spot on, the 100m sprints are possibly the greatest example of having to deliver in the moment. Being focused and able to perform when it counts is also vital for success in the business world, from nailing a pitch or wowing in an interview. For Bolt, it appears that the expectation to win - from himself, his supporters and the world's media - meant the pressure was too great. So how could it have turned out differently?
Focus One of the main combatants of outcome pressure is the ability to remain focussed on your performance. Bolt seemed unable to do this, perhaps it was the critics' comments that he wasn't up to winning, or the fact that he seemed to be putting more of his efforts into playing up for his adoring fans, or something else entirely, only he knows. In business, there can be a myriad of distractions eating away at your focus -, from everyday distractions, such as interruptions from colleagues or an abundance of emails, to unexpected distractions such as losing your slide deck just before an important presentation. Not to mention the more constant distractions of the pressure of results and the expectations of others.
The key to being able to cope with these is the ability to re-focus, to make sure that you are aware of these distractions and take them into account, but are able to quickly adapt and get back to the task in hand.
Three tips for flawless focus:
Control the controllables- High performers have the ability to realise that some circumstances are just out of their control, for example a piece of technology failing before an important pitch. Identify what these are and then focus on the elements that you can control - your behaviours or your attitude. These could include your presentation style, making sure you appear confident and relaxed.
Focus on Process- if you make sure you concentrate on how you want to perform and how something should be done, the outcome will usually take care of itself. In Bolt's case one questions whether if he had focussed on the technique of his start (which he would have practised hundreds of times) rather than possibly being distracted by the environment around him, whether the outcome could have been totally different. As Michael Johnson stated in his Times column this weekend, "I've never false started, and to be honest I don't think it's that hard to avoid one".
Composure is key- Even high performers will get physical symptoms of pressure when having to perform under it, such as high levels of adrenaline in the lead up to an important pitch or in Bolt's case, an important race. Being able to harness this to work to your advantage is key by getting yourself into your ideal performance state, where best performance will become automatic. For some, this is by using simple techniques such as breathing and visualisation.
If Bolt had perfected his final preparations and focussed on his performance before his race rather than playing up to the crowd, he may be World Champion again today. And by learning from these lessons about pressure you will be able to put yourself in a prime position to cross the finish line first in your business.
Wil James, is a sports sport psychologist and principal consultant at Lane4