Executive Toughness: The Mental-Training Program to Increase Your Leadership Performance

CHAPTER 2Turn Up Your Thermostat

Heat Up Your Performance

Eleven days before his eighth birthday, Ben Newman lost his mother to amyloidosis, a rare muscle disease. Ben obviously missed his mom in hundreds of ways, some immediately obvious and some more subtle. For instance, without her supportive presence, Ben grew up with little to counter his innate perfectionist tendencies. Ben never lived up to his own expectations: no matter how good his grades were or how many points he scored on the basketball court, Ben never felt good enough. Recalling his childhood, Ben says, “It was tough, it was really tough losing my mother, and I was so hard on myself. I have to admit I was lost, but I guess my saving grace was that I knew I was lost and that something ...