How Good Can I Be: Interview with Dr. Jim Afremow, former San Francisco Giants Peak Performance Coordinator

I recently went one on one with Dr. Jim Afremow, the author of The Champion’s Mind and the newly released Leader’s Mind. Jim was the Peak Performance Coordinator for the San Francisco Giants and a Sports Psychology Specialist for Arizona State University.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Jim: I grew up playing a variety of organized sports and being physically active, such as regularly hiking and mountain climbing. As an athlete, I learned the importance of humility as a means to improve and confidence in order to win. When I attended college at the University of Oregon, I gravitated toward the study of psychology because of my fascination with human behavior. After my undergraduate studies, I attended Michigan State University, where I earned a doctorate in sport psychology and a master’s in counseling. The professional, educational, and applied experiences that I gained offered me the opportunity to bridge my two passions – sport and psychology.

For me, every step of my career – graduate school, working with university teams, consulting with professional teams, writing books (which included dealing with rejection from publishing companies!), and creating an app – has been a challenge in that I’ve had to learn and practice a variety of new skills, gain new knowledge, and establish new professional relationships. My commitment to obtain degrees in sport psychology and counseling, although the fields are complementary, required out-of-the-box thinking and overcoming some additional obstacles to blend the two fields at various stages of my career. 

Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your new book?

Jim: You don’t need a title to be a leader! Specifically, my hope is that readers of “The Leader’s Mind” will develop increased self-awareness about personal and professional strengths and target areas for growth, be inspired by the leaders across various achievement domains that are featured in the book, and learn practical and valuable skills and strategies to be a champion leader in all group activities they participate in – whether it be in sports, business, or family.

Adam: What are your best tips on how to reach peak performance?

Jim: Applied sport psychology is not hack work, a gimmick, or a magic pill. The approach to mental skill development is based on many decades of scientific research. It does, however, require time for training. 

You have to learn and actively practice mental skills and strategies, such as goal-setting, visualization, positive self-talk, pre-performance routines, gratitude, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness on a regular basis to achieve results. 

Take these performance enhancement techniques and break them down into bite-size pieces. Daily mental exercises, such as visualizing your success and the ideal steps to achieve it, take only a few minutes, but over time, lead to incredible results. 

Adam: How can anyone develop a winning mindset? 

Jim: There is nothing stopping you from championing yourself and smashing your goals just like the champions you admire most. The mind of a champion is the same as yours or mine. No one is born with or without a champion mind gene. The champion mindset is simply a beautiful quest to become the best you can be. 

Champions always ask themselves two gut-check questions: how good can I be? And how badly do I want it? The focus is on daily acts of excellence in support of their big-picture goals. 

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?

Jim: The defining qualities of an effective, authentic, and servant leader include: a) Confidence – has a positive self-image and faith in one’s own abilities, b) Concentration – performs with a laser-focus on the task at hand, c) Composure – maintains poise and copes well under pressure, d)  Commitment – keeps a “mission first” mentality, e) Consistency – dedicates oneself to a set routine, f) Communication – gains trust, gathers information, aligns efforts in the pursuit of big-picture goals, and inspires others to be their best selves, g) Connection – genuinely caring about others and wanting them to succeed, and h) Character – upholds a moral and ethical approach.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Jim: Leaders and aspiring leaders can take their leadership skills to the next level by identifying good role models for whom they want to emulate as a leader, inviting feedback from others with the sole goal of continuous improvement, making sure that their actions always match their words, taking extreme ownership rather than pointing fingers when things don’t go well, developing a good sense of humor and maintaining perspective, empowering others to be stars in their roles rather than micro-managing, and identifying a set of core values to live by each day.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Jim: First, recognize that it’s a responsibility to be called a leader. As André Malraux, the French novelist and statesman, said, “To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.” It’s always an honor and a privilege to serve others, so be grateful.

Second, lead by your example, not by your mouth. Champions let their deeds speak for them rather than bragging about their accomplishments or over-promising and under-delivering. 

Third, ask yourself on a regular basis, “Do I have my oxygen mask on?” This metaphor of self-care refers to the announcement made by flight attendants prior to takeoff. In other words, if you want to take good care of others, you must first take good care of yourself (i.e., maintaining good mental and physical health).

Adam: What are your favorite anecdotes and best takeaways from your time with the Giants?

Jim: Working as the peak performance coordinator and a mental skills coach for the San Francisco Giants was definitely a peak experience for me. I learned first-hand about what it takes to become and remain world champions from all the incredible coaches, staff, and players in the organization. The organization embodies the Japanese concept of “Kaizen” or continuous improvement across the board.

One of my favorite anecdotes comes from talking about the mental game of baseball with the legendary San Francisco Giants players and coaches who often come to spring training. I was fortunate to meet Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, Gaylord Perry, Will Clark, Dusty Baker, and many others. What I learned from all of them is their deep love of the game, their total commitment to excellence, and their profound appreciation for the mental side of game.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Jim: “Do it now and do it properly.” In other words, do what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it and do it the very best you can. A wise man told me this as I left home for college; hint: he paid the tuition.

Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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