Pressureless Thinking

Is there a more intense position in world sport than being India cricket captain?

Rahul Dravid would have an opinion. In the aftermath of the incredible Test series which England just came back to win, there’s plenty of tips for the astute seller.

One was this little gem. When current Indian captain, MS Dhoni, missed a couple of chances to seriously melt England’s batting mettle in the field, Dravid suggested that perhaps it was because he’d forgotten to deploy ‘pressureless thinking‘.

What would you do if everything was running smoothly? If you felt you were coasting? If every decision you made would be a good one? Or if any bad one could be instantly remedied at little consequential loss?

And wasn’t it, according to former captain Dravid, also the job of the coaching staff to help provide an environment, mental and physical, that promoted pressureless thinking?

The implication was clear. Only in such a state can you truly succeed.

Yet this is the polar opposite of atmosphere that many (most?) sales teams create.

Of course, there has to be a bit of quota pressure (similar maybe to cricket’s infamous batting collapse-inducing scoreboard pressure).

But surely it is about handling that, rather than allowing such a vibe to fester and debilitate?

How is pressureless thinking promoted in your sales operation?