via Harvard Tennis News: Friends of Harvard Tennis: H-Y brunch, the return of “The Inner Game”, and back-to-back doubles champs with highlights!.

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The Inner Game of Tennis

In the 1970’s, Tim Gallwey wrote what is still one of the most crucial books for deeply understanding adult learning and change. He eloquently unlocked significant mysteries, mysteries with which most organizations and individuals unfortunately still struggle. The book he wrote then was The Inner Game of Tennis. If have not read this book, go get it now. It’s that important.

Tim reviewed my new book, Leaving Prisons: Release Your Trapped Value! Tim referred to the book as, “A bold guide for leaders courageous enough to engage in serious self-reflection; an invitation to explore what is perhaps the last frontier for excellence – self-interference.”

I recently asked Tim, who just published another book, The Inner Game of Stress, some of my favorite questions regarding leadership. Here are his answers.

What is one of the most critical questions leaders should consider today and why?

HOW TO CREATE A CULTURE THAT AUTOMATICALLY PROMOTES LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

IN ALL EMPLOYEES, NOT JUST THROUGH TRAINING, BUT THROUGH WORK EXPERIENCE AND

COACHING.

What are some of the wisest things leaders are doing now?

CREATING LEARNING/COACHING CULTURES TO DEVELOP THEIR PEOPLE

What are some of the most dangerous things leaders are doing now, and what should they do to minimize risk?

NOT PAYING SUFFICIENT ATTENTION TO THE UNCONSCIOUS CULTURAL FACTORS THAT

IMPACT PERFORMANCE, LEARNING, AND ENJOYMENT ON THE PART OF THEIR EMPLOYEES.

NOT PAYING SUFFICIENT ATTENTION TO GOAL CLARITY AND BUILDING THE FABRIC OF

TEAMS.

What is the most common form of self-interference that you see in leaders today?

IGNORING SELF-INTERFERENCE ITSELF AS IF IT DIDN’T EXIST OR AS IF THERE WAS

NOTHING YOU COULD DO ABOUT IT.

What opportunities for leaders are you most excited about?

THE CUTTING EDGE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS WHO DOES THE BEST JOB

DEVELOPING THE SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES OF THEIR PEOPLE.

Tim is the founder of The Inner Game Inc., www.TheInnerGame.com and co-founder of IGEOS, www.igeos.net. He is the author of The Inner Game of Work, and most recently, The Inner Game of Stress.

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Join Penny as she talks with Tim Gallwey, Dr. Edd Hanzelik and Dr. John Horton about their new book “The Inner Game of Stress” (Random House – August 2009). Renowned sports psychology expert and best selling author W. Timothy Gallwey teams up with two esteemed physicians to offer a unique and empowering guide to health in today’s volatile world. The Inner Game of Stress applies the trusted principles of Gallwey’s wildly popular “Inner Game” series, which has helped athletes and politicians, and has touched just about every corner of our population, not only by providing useful tools for stress management, but also by demonstrating how we can each access our inner resources to maintain stability in life. Tennis great Billie Jean King and championship NBA coach Phil Jackson are just two of the sports legends who have benefited from Gallwey’s “Inner Game” books. A one-of-a-kind guide, “The Inner Game of Stress” allows anyone to get in the game and win.

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“Harley managers take to the slopes”
Today started with a morning meeting with twelve Harley Davidson managers interested in improving their rider education program. Location: Crystal Ridge Ski resort. After an hour’s discussion of Inner Game principles of learning from experience through focus of attention, we’re all out on the ski slopes to put principles into practice. The improvements in their skiing (and, I might add: the sheer fun of it all) helped convince them that there was a better way to learn a skill. In the afternoon, we all had a great time inventing “the inner game of motorcycle riding.”

Conclusion: what riders most need to learn is heightened awareness and responsible management of risk.

“Cold outside; warm reception inside”
By evening, it was snowing and below twenty degrees. My escort said the weather may discourage those coming from twelve miles outside of Milwaukee to the book store signing. But, when we arrived, there were already thirty people sitting and waiting. About half of them knew of Inner Game before The Inner Game of Work. I sat on a table and talked about accessing the greater potential with ourselves in tennis, golf, and work.

Questions included: “How do you stop the nagging, bossy conversation in the head? Acknowledging the need for a balance between Outer and Inner Games, which would you say is really more important?” I spent two hours there, signed fifty books, and enjoyed the interactions immensely.

Early on the 20th, I’m on my way to Kansas City, on a clear, crisp (7 degrees F.) morning.

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In the afternoon, I spoke with 200+ managers from Arco. Having passed through the turmoil of a planned merger with British Petroleum, they found out yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission was going to try to block the merger. Everyone was on an emotional roller coaster. The possibilities of controlling the variables of the Inner Game when they were clearly so out of control of the external variables was a welcome message – at least after they realized that I wasn’t going to try to sugar coat their dilemma or dignify it with an easy answer. The audience drew a passionate statement out of me: in times of external change we all have to reach for the foundations of our internal stability – which ultimately rests on our core desire. Because their turmoil was so real, they seemed to listen more attentively and from a more genuine place. I was told that some were spotted tearing towards the end of the talk. Afterwards about thirty books were sold.

The person who set up the Arco event, Robert Layfield owns with his wife the Little Professor Bookstore where I will do the signing tonight. He has been greatly responsible for the outstanding response in Dallas. The Mayor of McKinney, Texas introduced the evening and told how he had last seen me ten years ago at Arco headquarters in Santa Barbara. The President of the Chamber of Commerce was there as well – all the efforts of Mr. Layfield. The audience was enthusiastic and I went on for almost an hour – many bought books for themselves and friends.

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Then I gave a half-hour Public Radio interview followed by a most unique interview with Brian Malow called “But Seriously.” It was broadcast live on the Internet. A first for me and showed me how easy it is going to be for live video transmission from a home to an Internet site. On the way to the bookstore signing, my escort agreed to take me by my childhood school and home. I filled her in on early family history. Then at the most charming bookstore in Corda Madera – it happened – two of my childhood friends whom I had talked about to my escort were at the signing. I hadn’t seen them in nearly fifty years. They had changed – I had changed – yet we were all the same, very recognizable. Fifty years of life had transpired for each of us and we talked as if we were meeting after school one day. It has been quite a school, and we had all learned a lot.

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We talked about self-doubt and how it spawns a variety of “inner games” people play at work which rob us of the energy and awareness needed for work itself. If we weren’t playing the games of “who is the smartest,” or “who has the most influence,” we would find it much easier to cooperate in teams. We would also find that our ability to learn from experience would be greatly enhanced.

“At the Tattered Cover”
An audience of about forty people attended the signing at the Tattered Cover – a huge but charming independent bookstore in downtown Denver. We explored further the focus: putting an end to the self-esteem game at play and at work. Since you are the judge, the jury, and the plaintiff, why not declare yourself the winner of that game? Conclude for yourself that there are better games to play while working and then get on with it. So many of our obstacles at work come from our constant assessment of ourselves in relationship to others we work with. Re-defining the work ethic seemed a topic of interest in this group.

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It was exciting as I witnessed a recapturing of the inquiring mind of youth. About six young girls who were helping out in the bookstore listened attentively – from their expression, they were obviously enjoying and learning from their book store work experience – and, without having to be told.

Stepping off the plane in LAX after midnight, I was nicely surprised to see The Inner Game of Work on special display in the airport terminal book shop. Never really thought it would happen. I look forward to a day’s rest before starting on week two of the tour.

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Interestingly, in Kansas the main concern was: if I really thought for myself and followed the deepest urgings from within, I might be viewed as either arrogant or weird and thus, not be accepted. Being accepted was big on the priority list. People were receptive to the idea that self acceptance might be more important and more achievable than public acceptance. Philosophy aside, the simplicity of learning by the simple power of non-judgmental awareness brought practicality into the conversation and seemed fresh – even to those who had read the Tennis and Golf books.

Still having a good time and feeling more in touch with the thinking of readers.

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“Business Newsmakers”
I was a bit nervous before appearing in my first interview on the Chicago TV show called “Business Newsmakers.” I had no idea what kinds of questions I would be asked about The Inner Game of Work. Jack Taylor, the host, wanted to know exactly how the principles of The Inner Game of Tennis and Golf applied to work. He focused mainly on how to quiet the fears and doubts of the mind which prevent achieving excellence in any endeavor. And, being from Chicago, he brought up Michael Jordan as an example of someone who was committed not only to excellence but to maximizing his enjoyment of every game he played. The bottom line: if we can acknowledge the great resources of Self 2 in both work and play, we will perform better, enjoy more, and learn a great deal at the same time.

“Milwaukee Mid-week”
The next interview was with Ann Dekorsi of WMSE Radio out of Milwaukee. She had a totally different approach in conducting the interview. She observed that the workplace had become a place where there were mounting pressures to get more done in even less time – and acknowledged there was a lot of burn-out. “In this environment some older people are opting for early retirement. Is this the right choice?” she asked. I replied that the choice was not whether or not to retire, but whether or not to become a learner. The current work environment requires that we all learn how to learn – this is a requirement of living in an age of change. We have to become comfortable owning what we know, admitting what we don’t, and skilled at closing the learning gaps. If you are not willing to do this, then you might as well retire, no matter how old or young you are.

“Noon Business Hour”
The third interview was a five-minute shot on WMAQ radio in Chicago. “Tim Gallwey says that it’s what happens inside that counts. What are the primary ways we get in our own way at work? What are some practical ways in which we can be better coaches? Can people who conform find happiness?” All this to cover in five minutes!!!! The answer to them all, however, was the same – we have to know how to reach inside to find our inner resources, and then be very aware of what is happening on the outside so we may respond successfully.

What am I learning? How different interviewers can approach this topic – and my task is to communicate with each particular audience – using questions of the interviewer as a springboard for saying what I have to say to people I’m not even seeing. Fascinating first day.

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