We’ve written about leadership lessons and elite sport in previous YES Psychology Blogs. This month, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to talk about the Women’s World Cup, with a particular focus on a team that has captured the nation’s attention: the Matildas.
Lesson 1. Striking the right mindset for the task and staying in the present
The Matildas’ goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was named player of the match in Australia’s quarter-final against France. Mackenzie made three critical saves and stayed focused despite some challenging events. In the penalty shootout, the longest in World Cup history, she took Australia’s 5th penalty but missed, hitting the post. What was truly stunning was her ability to mentally reset, regain her composure and save another shot just a few minutes later.Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson summed it up: ‘I also have to mention Macca [Mackenzie], missing the penalty kick and staying in the game and being that player who wins the game for us. It’s unheard of. That mental strength of hers is just …’.
To succeed in elite sport, athletes must learn to recover rapidly from setbacks. Much like we need to do in corporate life. Athletes acknowledge that their best performances are highly dependent on one single factor: their psychological state (Anderson, Hanrahan & Mallett, 2014). So, what lessons can we learn from the Matildas and this World Cup, about how to ‘get in the zone’ and achieve peak performance?
Matildas captain Sam Kerr describes some of the tactics she uses to help use mind over matter to stay motivated and focused:
- Stay in the present – ‘Staying in the present and focusing on that one thing isn’t easy, but it definitely helps. I just have to believe in what I’m doing and try to ignore any distracting, negative or outside factors that start to creep in. Using this mental tool to maintain this kind of attitude is a big factor in winning for me. I truly believe that.’
- Stay focused on what you can control – ‘Above all else, I need to try and stay focused on what I can control, rather than worrying about the things that I can’t, especially when I’m under a lot of pressure during a tournament.’
- Maintain a positive attitude – ‘I understand now just how important it is to try and have a positive attitude – both on and off the field … I’m better able to deal with disappointments and failures by accepting how things turn out and moving on, rather than dwelling on them and getting stuck and bogged down in that negative result. For example, I hate missing goals and always feel hugely disappointed when I do, but I also know that there’s no point staying focused on that missed goal after it happens. As soon as the ball doesn’t hit the back of the net, I have to motivate myself to keep going and put all my focus on the next task at hand.’
Mackenzie Arnold attributed a key part of her success to the support she received from her teammates: ‘To see the girls rally around me after I missed that [penalty kick] and to keep going with the shootout and still have each other’s backs through the whole thing, I think that’s really what got us over the line’.
Research shows that support from your team, particularly in high strain roles, can help protect you from the effects of stress and pressure.
I think we can confidently say taking part in a penalty shootout, with millions of Australians watching you, could be called a high-strain role!Many of the themes we mention above were picked up in a study of Australian elite athletes and coaches looking at optimal psychological states for peak performance. In that study, key elements of peak performance included being confident, focused, and in control; maintaining present moment thinking; and having a clear mind. Elite athletes mentioned several other things that help them achieve peak performance – including ‘enjoyment of the experience’. We’ll turn to that next.
Lesson 2. Creating the right team environment for excellence
For lessons in leadership, let’s turn to Sarina Wiegman, head coach of England’s team, the Lionesses. In a recent interview, Wiegman said ‘what I really love is to work with people …’. Being a people person has been critical to her success. Sarina ‘cares about the experience of her players, and she wants them to enjoy the moment and have fun’. In her view, performing well and having fun aren’t mutually exclusive. She wants her players to keep their love of the game, and she believes that ‘you perform better when you can be yourself, when you’re in an environment … where you’re safe, and where you will not be judged’.
Since taking over as coach, she’s focused on helping her players know the plan, and how it works, and she says this has helped free them from self-doubt and fear of failure. She encourages them to ‘go and take action’, accepting that mistakes are part of football and part of life.
What Weigman describes as her leadership style is very similar to what we call supportive, inclusive leadership. As this article says so well, we’re seeing a move to a different style of leadership, one which has a combined aim of performance and wellbeing: ‘compassion helps us to feel … safe and protected, leaving us free to learn, connect with others and start exploring what we’re capable of.’ That sounds like a pretty helpful environment to create in our teams.
Lesson 3. Don’t forget that high performance can be driven by more things than you might imagine
For our third lesson from the World Cup, we turn to something a bit more light-hearted.
What song is on the Matildas’ pump-up playlist? Is it Strawberry Kisses, by Nikki Webster? Man! I Feel Like a Woman! by Shania Twain? You’re the Voice, by John Farnham? Or All of the Above? For the answer, you’ll need to check out the ‘How well do you know the Matildas’ quiz.
The psychology of workout music has been written about in this great article in Scientific American, and Costas Karageorghis, professor in sport and exercise psychology at Brunel University London, has even created an ‘Ultimate Fitness Workout Playlist’.
At YES Psychology, we know the strengths of music in creating memorable and relatable experiences and have used music to help teams reflect on achievements, face challenges and develop their vision for the year ahead.
Congratulations to Spain for their 2023 Women’s World Cup win and to all the teams for an amazing tournament!
Dr Lisa Mayocchi has over 20 years’ experience in the UK and Australia, helping to improve leadership, culture, resilience, wellbeing and engagement in sectors including health, education, justice, and financial regulation. With a Doctorate in Organisational Psychology, Lisa has co-authored papers on “stress and coping, career transitions, transferable skills, and the experience of high-performance athletes”.