‘What is my job on the planet? What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won’t happen unless I take responsibility for it?’

Rather than, ‘What if we run out of resources?’ we can ask, ‘What is the best way to use our resources?’ Rather than, ‘What if I don’t win the contract?’ we can ask, ‘What can I do to win the contract?’

Rather than ‘what ifs’, we are then able to deal with the ‘what is’.

By harnessing this three-point structure, mantras create a strong linguistic chain of events; they take you from chaos, through clarity and into action. Automatically.

First, we put ourself in a resourceful state: calm, positive, clear. Then we ‘anchor’ that state through a specific, replicable physical action – something out of the ordinary, like scrunching up our toes, stamping our foot, staring into the distance, throwing water over our face. Repeat, and repeat, and repeat – until it’s automatic.

introduce real, emotional pressure; a video camera perhaps, a hostile heckler in the room, a bet on the number of times we hesitate, an unrealistic time limit

Gazing’s training approach, in its simplest form, says Brosnahan, involves a ‘skill ladder’, which begins by building technique and increasing intensity, then introduces real pressure. An everyday example might be in preparation for a speech: first we read through the text, maybe practise in front of the mirror until we’ve got the words and the

John Kotter, culture-change guru and former professor at Harvard Business School: —— We learn best – and change – from hearing stories that strike a chord with us . . . Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies or for themselves.

OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. It