Quiet work that outscores the scoreboard
At 2:07 a.m. an entrepreneur texts me: “We missed the quarter. Again.” Two hours later, a setter messages after practice: “Coach says I’m slipping. Hit the tape twice.” Both are staring at the scoreboard. But every great season I’ve coached—and every company I’ve helped scale—was built in the quiet, below the surface.
Mindset coaching for steady, repeatable performance
Performance psychologist Marc Cormier offers a simple visual: an iceberg and a circle. Above the waterline you see the medal or the quarterly win. Below it sit the thousands of micro-choices that made it possible. The circle has three layers:
- Process: the controllables—sleep, reps, feedback, communication, recovery.
- Performance: growth relative to yourself—quality, precision, decision speed.
- Outcome: the external result—wins, medals, revenue.
The shift is practical: you can’t control the gust of luck that nudges the result, but you can control how you lay bricks today.
Try this on paper: draw three concentric circles and label them outcome, performance, process. Shade the one you obsessed over this week. If it’s the outer ring, breathe. Then ask Cormier’s three questions: Is my current framework working? What balance fits this context? What action moves me toward it today? Outcome-only focus makes you fragile. A balanced circle makes you steady—you know what to do next, even when the score misbehaves.
Make recovery part of the plan, not an apology
“Strategic rest” isn’t laziness; it’s leverage. Research on sustained attention by Ariga and Lleras shows that short breaks reset decision control. Anders Ericsson’s work on deliberate practice points to intense sprints of roughly 90 minutes, then a real break. I coach founders to design the day around cognitive sprints, not the other way around. I coach athletes to treat recovery like a rep—planned, protected, progressive.
Practical moves:
- Block your sprints: two or three 60–90 minute cycles for your highest-impact work.
- Guard the reset: step away for 5–10 minutes—movement, breath, water, no screens.
- Sleep as a KPI: aim for consistent timing; the human brain loves regularity.
Coach for resilience: what current research says
We’re drenched in outcome worship: leaderboards, headlines, social feeds. But certain coaching behaviors build mental toughness without hardening hearts. A study summarized by News-Medical (Binghamton University; sample: 301 university volleyball players in Taiwan) linked transformational coaching—clear, inspiring vision plus individualized support—to higher mental toughness.
Two mechanisms mattered most:
- Task-involving climate: emphasis on effort, learning, and mastery.
- Strong coach–athlete exchange: respectful, individualized communication.
When leaders highlight growth and build trust, resilience follows. Public shaming and constant comparison do the opposite—they erode self-determination and narrow attention under pressure.
Translate that to your team
- Name a purpose that outlasts any single game or quarter.
- Personalize goals to baselines, not to the person next to them.
- Give precise feedback: “Your second-step acceleration off the pick was clean—keep the hip angle,” beats “Nice job.”
Build beneath the waterline: track leading indicators
Outcomes are lagging—they confirm the past. Leading indicators are controllables that predict the future. Measure what you can influence today.
| Metric type | Examples you control today | Why it predicts tomorrow |
|---|---|---|
| Leading | Sleep hours/regularity; quality reps at full standard; work–recovery ratio; weekly feedback loops; self-rating of coachability | Raises capacity and decision quality |
| Lagging | Wins, medals, revenue, viral reach | Noisy and delayed |
Quick leading indicators to try:
- Sleep consistency: bedtime within a 60-minute window.
- Quality reps: count only reps that meet full technical standard.
- Feedback loops: at least two individualized touchpoints per week.
- Recovery index: 1–5 self-rating each night; adjust tomorrow accordingly.
“I measure what I can control. I recover so I can go again. I’m laying the bricks that make my future inevitable.”
A short story to steady your nerves
Last spring, a startup team arrived demoralized—two lost deals in a week. We rebuilt their circle and retooled the dashboard around leading indicators. One rule: no focus block over 90 minutes without a reset. Sleep moved from 5.8 to 7.2 hours on average. They logged micro-wins: three high-quality demos per rep per day, not just meeting counts. They ended each sprint with precise, task-focused feedback. Six weeks later, revenue turned. More telling: anxiety dropped before the numbers rose. Process restores agency first—trophies follow.
Put it to work this week
- Step 1: Draw the circle. Decide your balance for the next seven days.
- Step 2: Pick two leading indicators and put them on the wall where you’ll see them.
- Step 3: Protect one non-negotiable recovery window every day.
- Step 4: Ask a teammate, “What single improvement target matters to you this month?” Then listen like performance depends on it—because it does.
When the next wobble comes—and it will—you won’t be at the mercy of the scoreboard. You’ll be grounded in a system that composes greatness out of small, disciplined choices. You are not behind. You’re in the middle of your foundation. Keep laying bricks.
Your next move
Challenge for today: Show me one controllable action before noon that your future self will thank you for. Then take a 5-minute break. That’s not stepping away from the work. That is the work.
This is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Consult a qualified expert for personal guidance.