The Winning Mindset

In The Winning Mindset, Professor Damian Hughes, the acclaimed author of Liquid Thinking and How to Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson, draws on both his lifetime experience and academic background within sport, organization and change psychology to reveal the best ways to create a winning mindset in both personal and professional life. Having worked with some of the top teams in the UK, and watched some of the best coaches in the country at work, Hughes distils the five keys principles that separate the best coaches and teams from the rest: Simplicity; Tripwires; Emotions; Practical; Stories: STEPS. The role of a sports-team leader is fascinating, complex and tough. Fantasy football leagues may convince us that success is all about buying players and selecting a team. In reality, it is about creating winning environments - recruiting, developing and nurturing talent, effectively communicating a shared vision with a diverse collection of individuals, delivering on enormous expectations from a range of stakeholders, overcoming significant challenges, handling pressure and staying focused throughout: a set of challenges familiar to leaders in all sectors.

Professor Damian Hughes combines his practical and academic background within sport, organization and change psychology to work as a trusted adviser to business, education and sporting elite, specializing in the creation of high-performance cultures. He has written several successful business texts, including Liquid Thinking and How to Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson.

Introduction - i: Prologue Section - ii: Introducing The Five Steps Section - iii: How To Apply It? Section - iv: Trapdoors Unit - 1: The First Step: Simplicity Chapter - 1: The Heart Of The Matter Chapter - 2: The Key Information Chapter - 3: Information Is Inspiration Chapter - 4: Inverting The Pyramid Chapter - 5: Ferguson Versus Moyes: The Sorcerer And The Apprentice Chapter - 6: One Thing After Another: Cognitive Fluency Chapter - 7: Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? Chapter - 8: Strength In Depth Unit - 2: The Second Step: Thinking Chapter - 9: In The Middle Of The Muddle Chapter - 10: The Wildebeests Of Elite Sport Chapter - Commander's Intent: 11 Chapter - 12: The Privileges And Duties Of The King Chapter - 13: Tripwires And Other Hazards Chapter - 14: Brown Sweets and Red Flags Chapter - 15: Guided Discovery Unit - 3: The Third Step: Emotions Chapter - 16: Feeling On Top Of The World Chapter - 17: The Elephant And The Rider Chapter - 18: The Storm And The T-Cup Chapter - 19: Contain, Entertain, Explain Chapter - 20: The Power Of Ritual Chapter - 21: Relationship Issues Chapter - 22: The World Smiles With You Chapter - 23: Feeling Good Chapter - 24: Lose Your Illusion Chapter - 25: Fun, Fun, Fun Chapter - 26: Curiouser and Curiouser Chapter - 27: The Power Of Novelty Chapter - 28: The Four Principles Unit - 4: The Fourth Step: Practical Chapter - 29: A Busy Man Chapter - 30: Abstract Versus Practical, Expert Versus Novice Chapter - 31: How To Lead Lions Chapter - 32: Practical Science Chapter - 33: Velcro Memory Chapter - 34: Lessons From Louis Chapter - 35: In Practice Unit - 5: The Fifth Step: Stories Chapter - 36: The Legend Of Pep Guardiola Chapter - 37: What Stories Are For Chapter - 38: The Virtues Of Simulation Chapter - 39: The Doctor And The Castle Chapter - 40: Imagination And Reality Chapter - 41: Stories As Inspiration Chapter - 42: Creating Future History Chapter - 43: The Challenge Plot Chapter - 44: The Connection Plot Chapter - 45: The Creativity Plot Chapter - 46: How To Structure A Story Chapter - 47: Olympic-Standard Storytelling Section - v: Conclusion Acknowledgements - vi: Acknowledgements Section - vii: Notes Section - viii: Bibliography