Managing Your State: The Leadership Skill That Changes Everything

Have you ever noticed professional athletes talking to themselves before they take a decisive shot?

Olympians closing their eyes before stepping onto the track or the piste? They're not just psyching themselves up, they're managing their state.

And it’s not just for sport, it’s one of the most overlooked performance skills in leadership.

What It Means to “Get Into a State”

Every now and then, my six-year-old “gets himself into a state”.

It might be triggered by a change in environment. Something someone says. How he interprets it.

His thoughts shift.
His feelings follow.
His body responds - tension, heat, tears.
Then behaviour: stomping feet, raised voice, dramatic objection.

Eventually, something interrupts the pattern, a change of scene, a snack, a pause and he resets.

It’s a simple but powerful reminder that if we can get ourselves into a state, we can also get ourselves out of one.

The Think - Feel - Do Connection

Leadership performance is rarely just about skill - it’s about state.

What you think influences how you feel.
How you feel influences what you do.
And what you do determines how others experience your leadership.

Think → Feel → Do.

If you understand what creates a powerful state for you, you can deliberately access it, especially in high-stakes moments.

• Board presentations.
• Difficult conversations.
• Strategic pivots.
• Challenging stakeholders.

State precedes performance.

A Real Example: From Anxiety to Authority

A member of my marketing team once struggled in executive meetings.

He knew his material inside out, but before presenting, he would go red, feel sick and lose clarity of thought.

The issue wasn’t competence, it was state.

We began by unpicking the internal stories he was telling himself. The beliefs running quietly in the background.

Then I asked him to visualise a time when he felt completely confident, it turned out that when he played football for his local team, he felt unstoppable.

So I helped him build a ritual. Before exec meetings, he would consciously associate with that version of himself. He even wore his football socks under his suit, a private cue that he was “walking onto the pitch”.

Gradually, his physiology shifted, his thinking sharpened, his presence strengthened.

The content hadn’t changed, but his state had and his performance followed.

Why This Matters for Senior Leaders

At senior levels, leadership is less about technical skill and more about:

• Executive presence
• Emotional regulation
• Psychological safety
• Strategic clarity under pressure

These qualities emerge from your internal state.

Most leaders focus on preparation of content. Very few prepare their mindset and physiology.

Elite athletes would never separate the two and neither should we.

How to Start Managing Your State

Before your next high-stakes moment, ask yourself:

• What state do I want to be in?
• When have I felt this before?
• What did I think, feel and do differently?
• What small ritual could help me access that version of myself?

Make it deliberate.

Coaching often creates the awareness required to interrupt old patterns and build new ones through insight and practice.

Leadership growth is about accessing the strongest version of yourself, on demand.

If you’re navigating high-stakes leadership moments and want to strengthen your ability to lead under pressure, I work privately with senior leaders to build exactly these capabilities.

You can explore more about how I support leaders here.

Or, if you’d prefer a confidential conversation, you’re welcome to get in touch.