Tag: pressure

Performance Under Pressure (9-30-26)

We will continue this series on reflections from our internal insights summit. Last week was about using high expectations as an invitation to strive for greatness.  This week is about performance under pressure.

Our guest speaker for this segment was Dr. James Hewitt, a former racing cyclist turned PhD performance scientist.  His talk was about performing under pressure without burning out.  He argued that pressure is always going to be there, and performance is trainable.  From there, he discussed how success isn’t just luck, but it’s inevitable for the teams who train to handle this pressure. He then talked through his 3 part framework for preparing to deal with pressure. 

  1. Capacity– Building the foundation for performing under pressure
  2. Control– Reframing stress as an opportunity to grow
  3. Coordination– Synchronizing your team to transform pressure into performance

The one that stuck out to me the most is capacity, because this is the one we know the most about.  We all know logically that we need to ensure we are taking care of our physical, cognitive, and emotional health.  We know we should exercise, take breaks, not be so hard on ourselves, etc.  However, there is a difference between knowing and doing, and the difference between knowing and doing is having negative impact across the board.

How does this connect with work?  It’s pretty safe to say that there is more pressure and more constant pressure than ever before.  In many ways, it feels harder and harder to keep up and deal with everything.  What if a large portion of this is because we haven’t built the foundational capacity to even begin to handle this pressure?  Without the solid ground, we are already compromised and less able to deal with pressure from the beginning.

When I reflect on capacity this way, it changes the way I think about physical, cognitive, and emotional health.  A lack of sleep isn’t just something that makes me a little less tired during the day.  Being mentally drained, isn’t just something I can shake off.  Being emotionally dysregulated isn’t just something I can easily overcome.  These aren’t minor inconveniences.  They are barriers to me performing as an employee and more importantly as a human.

The challenge- How will you build up your capacity to perform under pressure?

Bonus thought 1: The other shift I’ve made for these things is rather than spending an exuberant effort in trying to optimize everything, I’m asking what are the minimum effective doses I need.  Maybe for my physical health it’s a solid lifting session 3 days per week.  For my mental health, maybe it’s a commitment to stop scrolling and only read books after 9:30pm.  It doesn’t have to be a lot. Small steps matter.

Bonus thought 2: Here’s a link to his book if you want a quick read filled with some helpful nudges, frameworks, and other things to think about Amazon.com: Regenerative Performance: How to Thrive in an Always-On World Without Sacrificing Your Well-Being (Audible Audio Edition): James Hewitt, Dr. James Hewitt, Amplify Publishing: Books

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Stepping Away from the Heat (7-16-25)

Last week we kicked off a series of lessons my family learned when our air conditioning went out.  This entry is about stepping away from the heat.

Our air conditioning was down for around a week or so.  We spent the first five of those days staying at home, trying to keep cool, while the temperature continually rose in the house.  By the fifth day, we were all sick of consistently being hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable.  We were all low key grumpy and irritated at each other and the world. 

While it wasn’t ideal, I decided to get us a hotel room just down the street for the night.  It might sound silly, but this made a HUGE difference.  Everyone had a chance to step away from the environment for a day and be more comfortable.  It gave us a chance to recharge and recenter.  The next day, we opted to drive over to my parents’ house and have a sleepover in the middle of the week, which my kids thought was the best thing ever.  After stepping away for a couple of days we had recharged and were ready to handle the heat and other things life threw in our direction.

You might be wondering what this has to do with anything.  When we first went to the hotel room, we weren’t aware of the toll the heat was taking on us.  We didn’t realize how agitated we had become.  Stepping away from that heat not only gave us perspective, but it gave us a chance to recharge.

Think about your life for a minute.  Maybe there’s a challenge at work.  Maybe there’s a challenge at home.  Maybe there is a tough environment.  Sure, you could just stay in that environment every day, but sooner or later that will wear you down.  You might need to step away from it for a minute.  You might need to step away to clear your mind.  You might need to step away into a better feeling environment to reground.  You might need to step away, so you can recharge.  The heat of life is always going to be there, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in it all the time.

The challenge: Will you recognize when you need to step away from the heat?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry