Whether your business is a multinational conglomerate or a group of one, you have a vested interest in putting your best face forward. You want to communicate on many levels, and you want to reach the people who will champion your cause. It takes drive, it takes vision, it takes reaching for a goal and mental toughness to continue on.

This week, I’ve been participating in an online summit on mental toughness hosted by Performance Strategist, Renita Kalhorn and bringing together top performance experts, thought leaders, coaches and authors. Having training as a lifecoach myself, I am always interested in what it takes to reach one’s personal and professional best.

And here at Influential, besides building awesome brands, websites, and videos, we’re also focused on reinventing ourselves and our business on an ongoing basis so that we can deliver the most innovative creative work for our clients. We know that at the end of the day, our work is someone else’s baby, and we want to make sure that they are satisfied with the end product for years to come. We set aside time to think outside the box, and do creative projects to keep our minds fresh.

The highlights of the summit included interviews with Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why,” Daniel H. Pink, author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” and Dr. Noa Kageyama “The Bulletproof Musician,” a leading performance psychologist and concert violinist.

In his interview, Simon Sinek talked about the importance of being visionary. The best leaders remind us of the vision of the future that they are trying to build, and then inspire followers to help build it. Innovation occurs when the message is born out of what a company believes, and acts consistent with that belief. Mental toughness is sticking with the ‘why’ you exist, especially when you are tested with what life and business throws at you.

Moving deeper into what motivates creativity and drive in modern day careers, Daniel Pink talked about getting at the pulse of what really motivates us: “our intrinsic need for autonomy, mastery and purpose.” Pink argues that mental toughness takes a balance in these three areas; that we feel in control of our own lives, we are on a track to get better and better at something, and that we are doing things in the service of something higher than ourselves.

Finally, Dr. Noa Kageyama talked about mental strength being like a physical muscle, something that requires exercise and training to come through. Willpower is a finite resource, mental toughness however, is a series of qualities that are developed with a purpose and a goal in mind. Mental toughness for him is a meta-skill, a combination of abilities and traits including resilience, courage, passion, focus, desire, grit and hard work.

A critical component for Dr. Kageyama is changing our mindset about ourselves from one that is fixed or boxed in to what we know, to one that removes preconceived notions while we focus on working towards our goals. He speaks about developing good habits, even in baby steps, that support our purpose and keep us moving. For example, if going to the gym every morning is a goal, start out by getting up earlier to train your body to be alert. Later, add in physically going to the gym, but just start out reading while there. Eventually you will be ready to dive fully into your (new) routine at the gym.

In a very Zen closing, Dr. Kageyama said, “Don’t let your focus get too far astray from the moment. Quiet your mind, and let the right answer come to you.” Great advice for an individual, and great advice for a business.
[Author cross-posted at Influential Blog]