How to Overcome Olympic-Sized Pressure with Dane Jensen

Do you think you have what it takes to be an Olympian? Never mind the athletic ability—could you withstand the pressure, the weight of the world watching you compete on the world’s biggest stage? Dane Jensen—CEO of consulting firm Third Factor and the author of The Power of Pressure: Why Pressure Isn’t the Problem, It’s the Solution—is the guy Canadian Olympic-level athletes and coaches call when they need help handling that pressure. An expert on the subject, Jensen believes that we can not only manage pressure, but learn to use it to our advantage. And while he may mostly work with elite athletes and high-level executives, his invaluable advice can be applied in our own pressure-filled lives too. This week, Jensen joins host and Medcan CEO Shaun Francis to discuss his book, how Olympians are feeling in Tokyo right now, and share some of his best coping strategies.

 

LINKS 

• Read more on Jensen and his work at Third Factor here. He’s also on Twitter and LinkedIn. 
• Find out more about his book here, and order a copy over at Indigo.
• Listen to Jensen talk about pressure and resilience on The Impactors Podcast.
• Read his Harvard Business Review piece “Turn Your Team’s Frustration into Motivation.”
• Check out this Best Health story on Olympian-worthy coaching strategies.

INSIGHTS 

“Uncertainty is one of the biggest drivers of pressure,” Jensen argues. He adds that the human body actually experiences uncertainty kind of similar to physical pain. Research has shown that if you put somebody under a brain scan, the same centres light up under uncertainty as physical pain. So, leading up to a typical Olympic games, athletes are mentally preparing by building up as much certainty as possible — specific routines, knowing set information about their events, anything that they can control. This allows them to focus on the process, which ultimately helps them manage pressure. [03:09]

 

In his book, Jensen has devised a pressure equation: Pressure = Importance x Uncertainty x Volume. Uncertainty, of course, functions as mentioned above. Meanwhile, importance is directly related to the amount of pressure that you feel during a given moment. “If I’m feeling pressure, this must matter to me — I must be doing something that’s actually important to me, which is good,” Jensen explains. The final component is volume, basically the sheer amount of uncertain, important circumstances you have to deal with at once. And these days? You’re likely dealing with more pressure than ever. [10:38]

 

During the conversation, Jensen cites Harvard’s Alison Brooks, who has written about anxious reappraisal. Physiologically, anxiety and excitement manifest in very similar ways: sudden sweating, a quickening heart rate, you know what it feels like. Brooks says that when you’re nervous, you can actually manipulate your emotional state by instead telling yourself that you’re excited. This is a technique Jensen often works with others on as well. “I want an athlete, I want somebody who’s standing up to give a big sales presentation, doing a job interview, whatever, I want them, in advance, to viscerally imagine what their body is going to feel like in that situation,” he explains, adding that you’re training yourself to expect these physical reactions, which means they’ll be less distracting when they do arise. “That ability to anticipate physical activation and then … be able to productively label those physical sensations is actually much more of a high-performance state.” [16:06]

 

One of Jensen’s favourite stories from his book is about Johann Olav Koss, a decorated speed skater from Norway. In the lead up to the 1994 winter games, which were held in his home country, Koss was feeling so much pressure that he actually broke down crying in a stairwell just days before his races. He didn’t think he could handle it. “The ability to separate ego-driven by stakes from what’s actually at play is an important tool,” Jensen explains. Luckily, Koss had a great sports psychologist with him to work through the situation. She said: “Johan, I know you want to be a doctor after your athletics career. Will failing at these Olympics impact your ability to be a physician?” No, he realized; in fact it might teach him even greater empathy. Then she asked: “There are many Norwegeian skaters competing. Do you think your country will care which one of you wins?” Probably not, he realized. “Literally, brick by brick, they unloaded the added importance he placed on himself in that situation so that they got a balanced view,” Jensen says. “When it comes to [pressure], I really have to be able to see how what I do is important to me, while at the same time not getting overwhelmed by the stakes.” In Koss’ case, it worked, too: He won three gold medals and broke all sorts of records at those games. [18:17]

Under situations of pressure, Jensen says you should be able to answer at least one of three questions: How is this pressure helping me grow? How is enduring this pressure benefiting others? And how is this pressure bringing me closer to the people I care about? If you can answer these questions, you’ll be able to equip yourself better to handle whatever it is. Oftentimes, Jensen has found that those who can’t answer these questions look back at how they handled the pressure with regret. [25:04]