What Separates the Best from the Rest at Crunch Time?

Rick’s and my experience and interviews with elite performers reveal that, even more than physical skills, it’s performers’ mindsets that separate the best from the rest under pressure. Clutch performers know how to think on command in ways that help, rather than harm, their performance. Thinking differently is the starting point. Change how you act, and change your results.

Once you get to the highest level, everyone has talent. They have the physical tools. The mental side of it is what really sets you apart and allows your talent to come through.

—Barry Zito, 2002 Cy Young Award winner with the Oakland A’s