Tag Archive for: Risk

What Mount Everest can teach us about goals

Standing at 8,848m (29,029 feet), Mount Everest is the world’s tallest mountain, making it a target for daredevils and adventurers to attempt to summit. Despite not being an especially challenging technical climb – you can essentially “just” walk up large sections of it – summiting Everest is dangerous for many reasons, including high winds, fatiguing conditions, and the high altitude, which can induce altitude sickness leading to pulmonary and cerebral edema. Historically, it has been estimated that one person dies for every 4 who summit. As a result, around 300 people have died on the mountain, and, given the logistical issues associated with recovering a body under such dangerous conditions, many of these people remain on Everest. Read more

Failure and risk

In order to succeed you must take risks, you must operate well out of your comfort zone. Risk implies that there is a chance of success or failure. Most of what holds coaches and athletes back from achieving ultimate success is not fear of failure, but fear of success. If they succeed, then they must do it again and probably be expected to do it better. This brings pressure, most of which is self-imposed. Read more

How embracing risk helps you control it

I recently came across an interesting book by Greg Ip titled Foolproof: Why Safety Can Be Dangerous and How Danger Makes Us Safe. It’s a fascinating look at the balance between risk mitigation and risk adaptation, both of which compete to either make us safer, or more at risk than before. Read more

Coaching Excellence – Part Four

Change is a constant. One of the discriminating factors that differentiate between a good and great coach is how they deal with change. Good coaches are reactive and change manages them. They fear change and go out of their way to avoid it. Great coaches lead change they are proactive and embrace the challenge of change. In fact great coaches are change engineers, they are at the cutting edge always looking for a better way. Read more

Risk

Why are we trying to avoid risk? Instead of avoiding risk learn to manage it. Playing and competing at the highest levels means you are on the edge, pushing the envelope in terms of training and performance. Read more