How Leaders Can Build the Mental Toughness of Elite Athletes

Key Takeaways

Treat the highs and lows like part of the training, use your scars as proof you can survive again, see every challenge as a puzzle (not a wall) and build a “can-do” core.

Curate your circle like a team roster, ask for help before you hit the wall, lead from your assets (not your fears), control the controllables, make discipline your default setting and anchor to your identity when outcomes are unclear.

In business — as in sport — you don’t train for the easy parts. You train for the all-nighters, the pivot nights, the sudden layoffs, the eleventh-hour reversals. You train for uncertainty — because that’s when leadership matters most.

And let’s be real: Those business curveballs aren’t stopping. Supply chain disruptions, sudden technological advancements, financing cons