Instructor Resource
Neck, Self-Leadership, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Case Notes
Chapter 7: Self-Leadership, Health, and Well-Being: Maintaining Physical
and Emotional Fitness on the Journey
U.S. Olympic Athletes, Mental Imagery, and Performance Stress
Learning Objectives
1. Recognize the importance of fitness for overall physical and mental health and job
performance.
2. Employ the self-leadership strategies presented in this book in the context of fitness.
Case Summary
U.S. athletes, as well as other world class athletes, use mental practice, generally “visualization”
or “imagery,” as a self-leadership strategy to overcome high levels of stress and anxiety and
increase performance. Emily Cook, a former Olympic skiing aerialist, found visualization useful
while recovering from broken bones in her feet. She was unable to physically practice, so she
began mentally practicing. She chronicled each component of her jump, beginning with the top
of the hill and hearing the crowd, using a tape recorder. Cook then listened to her recording and
felt each muscle. If fear crept in, she could release it.
Case Analysis
Both Emily Cook and Mikaela Shiffrin suffered from mental and physical challenges: stress,
performance anxiety, and temporary physical limitations. Both athletics benefited from the self-
leadership strategies, especially the mental practice of visualization and imagery. Cook
continued to mentally practice her sport, even though she was physically incapable of being on
Instructor Resource
Neck, Self-Leadership, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Sample Answers to Case Questions
Question 1. In what ways can Olympic athletes benefit from self-leadership strategies in their
sports?
Sample Answer: Athletes can utilize the principles of mental practice as part of self-leadership.
Cook utilized visualization during her recovery from broken bones, and Shiffrin used imagery to
Question 2. Give some specific examples of how an athlete could use the strategy of mental
imagery to overcome stress and improve performance.
Sample Answer:
a. In this case, both athletes used mental practices.
Question 3. Could people in pressure performance situations other than those in sports benefit in
similar ways from applying these strategies? Give some specific examples.
Sample Answer: Yes, any person in high-pressure situations can use mental practices to help
increase performance. Examples will vary.