Dr. Bradford Cooper

The One Skill Set You May Be Missing

Functional mental toughness (fMT) represents a collection of cognitive skills and physiological elements that allow each individual to unlock their own potential and optimize performance across a range of personal, professional and physical pursuits.  Rather than the traditional view of mental toughness being something a person “does” or “does not” have, our research has pointed to specific actions, choices and habits that can improve the mental toughness of anyone who desires to do so. Functional (the practical, adjustable) mental toughness is made up of 3 key elements: THRIVE (foundational wellbeing), PREPARE (cognitive strategies utilized in advance of the pursuit or critical moment) and ACTIVATE (steps taken in the midst of the pursuit or critical moment). Think of fMT as your personal performance optimizer bank account. With your financial bank account, you want to:  1 – Fill it up so it’s available when you need it; 2 – Limit the leakage that wastes the money on things that aren’t of importance; and 3 – Have the ability to access the money on that account when you really need it.

The opportunity that exists with regard to Functional Mental Toughness (fMT) is similar. The more you can fill up your personal fMT bank, limit the leakage, and understand how to access it, the greater your opportunity to draw on it during specific pursuits or during critical moments throughout your day when it can make the most significant difference to your outcomes.

Assessing your own keys to optimization

This self-assessment draws on the published research literature to highlight the opportunities you currently have available to optimize your potential across the fMT Triad of Thrive, Prepare and Activate. The opportunities identified will change over time as you make adjustments based on your results. It focuses on keys to increasing the availability and utilization of fMT when physiological resources may be at their limit and additional (cognitive) resources are necessary to maintain  or elevate performance. Think of fMT as a (completely legal) performance enhancer, a way to improve upon your own historical baseline. Each of us has a natural history representing our historical performance/outcomes across different situations. The Optimizer Assessment allows you to ID the keys to improving that baseline. Tired of unmet potential? Applied, the Optimizer Assessment will allow you to move BEYOND POTENTIAL. 

Optimizing Your Potential

Prior to beginning this assessment, it is helpful to have a specific pursuit (e.g., important test, athletic event, presentation) or a regularly experienced critical moment in your day (e.g., difficult interaction with co-worker, struggle with afternoon food choices) in mind as you complete certain sections of the assessment.  Examples of situations in which an individual might choose to access their fMT bank include the following…

• Physical/Athletic: Fatigue sets in during an activity, event or training session. fMT may be accessed/utilized to continue in spite of desire to slow down or reduce effort level. Or perhaps you’re looking to improve nutrition levels of eating patterns and have noticed certain times of the day during which the struggles are greatest. Higher levels of fMT may allow you to more successfully bridge those periods.
• Professional: On any given day, specific activities (e.g., a big presentation or sales call) or even an interaction with a more difficult co-worker or client, expanding our fMT bank and the ability to draw from that bank can help produce enhanced and/or more consistent outcomes in our work setting.
• Personal: Daily life can be stressful, and the ability to draw from our fMT bank at key times can make a significant difference in our outcomes. Examples might include the need to be at our best when faced with a difficult conversation or having to perform effectively at work on limited sleep after caring for a sick child or hitting an apparent wall of fatigue when pursuing an important personal goal.

VERY IMPORTANT: In completing Optimizer Assessment, the “best” answer is usually quite obvious. YOUR GOAL IS NOT to answer the questions to produce a “high score” (that would be easy – and meaningless to you) but rather to identify your current baseline level and opportunities for improvement. Reflect carefully and seriously about your ACTUAL rather than your desired tendencies in order to provide you with the most valuable outcome. For example, don’t think of yourself on your “best day.” Instead, consider your recent response to that particular situation. The more your responses reflect the real you at this point in time, the more valuable the outcome of the assessment will be to your future growth.

Neither you nor your coach should EVER compare your Optimizer Assessment score to someone else, as that would be a complete waste of time and a misuse of the assessment. The value of the Optimizer is in comparing your results over time, as you (and potentially your coach) begin to integrate various growth opportunities.

Note: Your email is saved for occasional updates about the assessment and fMT info. All other data will be aggregated (anonymous) and maintained only to improve the assessment over time, identify population trends, and provide you with your own historical results if you choose to repeat the assessment over time to monitor your personal development. By participating you are agreeing to the above, to respecting the copyright of the contents and to utilize this assessment only for the purpose for which it was created. For most participants, the assessment involves approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and you are welcome to return to repeat the process over time.