RWSL Don Green and Performance Stress

RWSL Don Green and Performance Stress

Overview/Summary

This case study is the story of Don Greene, a young American man who went through military training, served as a Green Beret, and later worked as a SWAT team trainer by helping a concert violinist play better in concerts. He went further to take a Ph.D. in sports psychology, and it was through these higher studies that he came to his revelation of the idea of performance stress and how it affects performance outcomes. In military training, the trainers are subjected to stress performance and training on how to work under immense stress (Greene, 2001). Military trainees are subjected to such conditions to get used to stress performance since their career is characterized by stressful situations that require them to perform.

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In this case study, Greene devotes himself to writing and teaching people how they can still perform while under pressure. In one of his writings, he noted that for people to perform their best when under pressure, they must learn how to fight fear and win. In other words, fear is what makes individuals break down or give up in the fight (Greene, 2001). However, Greene emphasized that in any demanding situation, one needs to get focused and fight fear to win the battle. Once an individual wins against fear, there are higher possibilities of performing well. Upon socialization and collaboration with athletes and musicians, Greene realized that the stress and anxiety that military people encounter in their duties is the same stress and anxiety that athletes and musicians encounter (Houghton & Cathelyne, 2013). Therefore, he concluded that sports people and musicians could apply the same self-leadership strategies of self-talk and mental rehearsal that help military men face harsh situations. Therefore, he started teaching and mentoring artists and sportspeople to overcome their fears so they could perform even better amid great pressure and anxiety.

Questions and Answers

In what ways can musicians benefit from self-leadership strategies in their performances?

Like many other professionals, professional musicians in highly technical roles think about leadership regarding the direction of bringing the best from others and attaining the best results. While all these aspects are important, a musician needs to master self-leadership for them to succeed (Greene, 2001). Self-leadership is an individual’s ability to achieve personal and professional goals while helping the organization succeed. Self-leadership is understanding oneself and what one aims to achieve and mastering the ability to control emotions and behaviors.

Similarly, professional musicians should have self-leadership skills to succeed in their music industry. Self-leadership has many benefits for professional musicians; first, the self-leadership strategy is beneficial because it makes the musicians more efficient and productive in their work (Greene, 2001). The self-leadership skills enable them to manage their time effectively and organize their work professionally.

Secondly, self-leadership skills would keep a musician more accountable and motivated to continue making music. Staying motivated is one of the greatest benefits of self-leadership. When musicians have a strong sense of motivation, they get pushed through challenges, achieving even more than they could have thought of (Indeed Editorial team, 2022). Thirdly, self-leadership skills help musicians in decision-making. Some decisions need to be made with sober minds, and there is no way an individual will make good decisions when overwhelmed by pressure (Greene, 2001). However, like military men, athletes and musicians find themselves in critical situations where they must make decisions under pressure. Therefore, Greene teaches people how they can make credible decisions and perform better amid overwhelming pressure.

The third way musicians can benefit from self-leadership strategies is that it makes them develop a sense of dedication. Dedication is the commitment to a specific task of purpose. Dedication is vital in developing strong self-leadership skills since it encourages individuals to complete tasks and remain on course to overcome challenges (Greene, 2001). Another way self-leadership benefits musicians and other artists is that it helps them with self-regulation. Self-regulation can be defined as the ability of an individual to regulate their emotions, behaviors, and thoughts with less external influence. Developing self-regulation skills helps one to respond to challenges rather than reacting to them (Indeed Editorial team, 2022). Response to challenges is a deliberate and carefully thought-out process where one chooses to counter the challenge more logically.

Give some specific examples of how a musician could use the strategy of mental practice to improve performance.

Mental practice in music refers to the ability of the musician to rehearse the music in mind without many muscular movements or acoustic feedback. Performing musicians believe that repeated physical practice could be the most effective way to learn and improve in music (Ross, 1995). Before the actual presentation, musicians practice more and more to ensure that the vocals and the acoustic work in harmony (Greene, 2001). The major benefit of mental practice is that it can help musicians learn things and boost performance (Houghton & Cathelyne, 2013). More research on this matter has shown that mental practice in music improves movement accuracy and velocity.

One good example of mental practice in music is instrumentalists, such as an orchestra drummer who prepares for the next entrance into the stage after a long rest by mentally playing the drums repeatedly without any physical movement. The drummer plays the drums to check whether the drums are in a good position and can produce sound harmony. Also, the drummer plays the drums more softly to check whether they are in tune with the songs that will be played on the stage. Before the presentation, a drummer could practice three hours per day and when practicing, the drummer should practice together with other performers with whom he will present (Greene, 2001). It is not a good idea for the drummer to practice alone; he should practice with the guitarist, vocalists, and percussionists to ensure that the sound drums are in harmony with other instruments and vocals.

In other words, mental practice is an even more daunting job than the actual performance or presentation on the stage. This is because mental practice requires a lot of practice and training for the drummer to perfect their job. The mental practice of a drummer is even more tiresome when the drummer is supposed to play a set of drums. In most cases, during music presentation, drummers are supposed to play with a set of drums and use each to produce the required sound that processes good music.

Could people in pressure performance situations other than those in sports and music benefit in similar ways from applying these strategies? Give some specific examples.

Greene found that how musicians and athletes experience pressure to perform is the same way military men encounter performance pressure. He concluded that this concept of performance pressure could be applied in other fields. Therefore, he could mentor and coach other professionals to overcome pressures and perform well in their respective fields (Indeed Editorial team, 2022). Through his alliances with athletes and musicians, Greene saw the similarities between the stress that the athletes and musicians experience and concluded that the same self-leadership strategies of self-talk and mental rehearsal that help the sports clients could be applied elsewhere.

I confirm that the same leadership strategies of mental rehearsal and self-talk could be applied to other professionals other than the military, artists, and athletes. One example of how self-leadership strategies could apply is in academics. Students are usually under pressure to perform. It has been proven that hard work and much practice help students to perform better. (Indeed Editorial team, 2022). For example, students preparing for examinations are overwhelmed with work because they need to revise several subjects within a short time before they sit for the test. Besides, subjects like mathematics require a lot of practice for the learner to master various formulas for solving different mathematical problems.

Accordingly, students could apply mental practice and self-talk strategies to perform well in mathematics. For instance, a mathematics student could practice solving more than twenty mathematics problems in a single day in preparation for the final examination. Such practice is known as mental practice and prepares them mentally to handle any problem in the examination paper (Ross, 1995). Therefore, Greene’s concept of mental practice in the midst of pressure to perform could be applied in academics the way it can be applied in military work, athletics, and artwork.

Critical Aspects and/or Assessments

One critical aspect of this case study is that people can still perform well even under immense pressure. Greene realized that if military men could perform well under pressure, other people could also perform well when faced with pressure. The most important thing is to carry out mental practice and self-talk to counter the fear. Artists, athletes, and other people can overcome the pressure to perform only if they can counter their fear.

Reflection

The performance stress case study is one of the most eye-opening case studies I have read. The case study focuses on the life of Don Greene, an ex-military trainee who has interacted with different athletes and musicians. The story in the case study shows that nearly in every profession, people experience pressure to perform, and it all depends on how an individual carries themselves in the midst of the pressure. I have learned that what makes the difference is fighting the fears associated with pressure. Greene has clearly stated that the great task is to fight fear; once an individual manages to fight fear, they will likely succeed even with much pressure. Military men train hard, and their careers are full of stressful situations. Still, they are required to make the right decisions without being influenced by their emotions and pressures.

I have learned that other professionals such as athletes, musicians, and even students could employ the concept of self-leadership, which entails mental practice and self-talk to handle the pressures of performance. Greene’s revelation of self-leadership skills enabled him to become a coach and a mentor of different professionals, meaning that this concept could be borrowed and applied to other professions. I have learned that mental practice prepares an individual to face reality with the required confidence. Mental practice entails the repetition of what one is going to present, which helps an individual identify the areas of weaknesses; hence, these areas are polished so that the presentation can be perfect. The mental practice also gives individuals confidence that leads to accurate and perfect decision-making amid pressures. Another aspect I have learned is that having self-leadership and mental practice helps people overcome the emotions associated with the pressure to perform.

References

Greene, D. (2001). Fight your fear and win Seven skills for performing your best under pressure. New York, Broadway books.

Houghton, J., & Catherine, L. (2013). Instructor’s’ manual, mastering self-leadership, empowering yourself for personal excellence. 6^th Ed. Pearson Education. New York

Indeed Editorial team. (2022). What Is Self-Leadership? 9 Steps To Develop Your Potential. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/self-leadership

Ross, S. (1995). The Effectiveness of Mental Practice in Improving the Performance of College Trombonists. Journal of Research in Music Education. Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 221-230W7 Assignment: Read Chapter 7 Real-World Self-Leadership Case: Don Green and Performance Stress (attached) and address the following directives:

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1. Carefully READ the entire assigned CASE first, and review again the chapter(s) pertaining to the case(s). Take time to critically think about all of the aspects of the case(s).
2. Write a brief Overview/Summary of the case in your own words describing the nature and/or background information pertaining to the case.

RWSL Don Green and Performance Stress

3. Write the question, then Answer and Respond to all of the Questions in the case. Use the chapter content to strengthen and support your answers.
4. In your opinion, what were some Critical Aspects and/or Assessments in the cases that were identified? What were some Critical Aspects that you perceived to be very vital?
5. Write a minimum 1-page Reflection on what you learned from the case in relation to leadership and managing innovation and change.
6. Make sure your paper format is outlined with the following: (1) Cover Page Sectional Headings; (2) Overview/Summary; (3) Questions and Answers; (4) Critical Aspects and/or Assessments; and (5) Reflection Page.

W7 Assignment: Read the Chapter 7 Real-World Self-Leadership Case: Don Green and Performance Stress (attached) and address the following directives:

1. Carefully READ the entire assigned CASE first, and review again the chapter(s) pertaining to the case(s). Take time to critically think about all of the aspects of the case(s).
2. Write a brief Overview/Summary of the case in your own words describing the nature and/or background information pertaining to the case.
3. Write the question, then Answer and Respond to all of the Questions in the case. Use the chapter content to strengthen and support your answers.
4. In your opinion, what were some Critical Aspects and/or Assessments in the cases that were identified? What were some Critical Aspects that you perceived to be very vital?
5. Write a minimum 1-page Reflection on what you learned from the case in relation to leadership and managing innovation and change.
6. Make sure your paper format is outlined with the following: (1) Cover Page Sectional Headings; (2) Overview/Summary; (3) Questions and Answers; (4) Critical Aspects and/or Assessments; and (5) Reflection Page.