Often, what separates the world’s elite achievers from the great ones is a level of inner confidence available to each of us, but unlocked by only a few. After 3+ decades of leading the U.S. Military’s enhanced performance programs, Dr Nate Zinsser joins Moe to unpack the mind games that get in the way of increased confidence and elite performance.
The First Victory
Having worked with highly accomplished entrepreneurs, leaders, and well-established organizations for three plus decades – the one recurring theme I notice is the fundamental difference between those who are really good at their craft and those who are great – and the even greater disparity between the great ones and those considered the best in the world. Often, it’s the intangibles that contribute most to those discrepancies; still it’s a topic that has forever fascinated me and largely the catalyst behind the work we do at 33voices.
This week, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Nate Zinsser – the architect behind West Point Academy’s Performance Psychology Program, and the United States Military’s applied sport psychology program about the role confidence plays in one’s ability to sustain excellence. Not surprisingly, it starts with mind control. He calls it the ‘first victory’, and as you’ll notice throughout our conversation and in his latest book – The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance – it’s less about affirmations and positive self-talk, and more about depth and continual reinvention.
Regardless of your level of achievement, you’ll benefit from his perspective on what it takes to upgrade your confidence when you most need it. Here are a few of the questions we explore:
- The key question that he’s continually asking himself?
- What is confidence and how does it correlate to sustained excellence?
- What is most likely to sabotage one’s confidence?
- Understanding the four pillars of human performance?
- How does one’s level of confidence correlate with the inevitable impostor syndrome?
- The priorities of a confident leader and leadership team?
- Healthy vs unhealthy confidence
- Resources: