Visualization, the practice of mentally picturing a desired outcome, has gained considerable traction as a powerful tool for achieving success in various fields, including business. By vividly imagining goals and desired results, individuals can harness a psychological technique that influences motivation, performance, and ultimately, success.
Visualization involves creating a detailed mental image of a desired outcome. It engages the mind in a way that primes it for success by reinforcing belief and commitment. This technique is grounded in the principle that our thoughts can influence our actions and shape our reality. In business, visualization can help in goal setting, overcoming challenges, and enhancing performance by aligning mental focus with strategic objectives.
Visualization operates on several psychological principles:
Research supports the effectiveness of visualization. Studies have shown that mental imagery can activate similar neural pathways as actual physical practice. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology found that athletes who used visualization techniques improved their performance in physical tasks, suggesting that mental rehearsal can enhance real-world abilities.
To harness the power of visualization in business, consider the following steps:
In my junior year, I injured myself. Unbeknownst to me, I had osteitis pubis, which is the noninfectious inflammation of the pubis symphysis. If it sounds awful, it is. Because the muscles around the pelvic area tightened in response, in one single kick I tore my quadricep, my hamstring, and my hip flexor.
With that injury, I went from kicking the best of my life to being on crutches and my future being uncertain. I had been excited about the upcoming season and had been growing in both consistency and confidence. During training camp, prior to this injury, Coach Alvarez would review each position during our nightly team meetings (as mentioned previously). In these meetings, he would state in front of the entire team that he had never seen anyone kick as well as me. He would say something like “Thompson, we have all the confidence in the world in you and will need you this season. I’ve not seen any kicker with as much confidence as you—you will be one of the best in the conference, maybe the country.”
We broke camp and three days later I had torn three major muscles in my kicking leg. The physical damage was obvious, but they thought I would be able to recover and kick that season. However, they wanted to keep my mental health and confidence in check as well. The head trainer came to me and said, “I realize you can’t physically practice but we would like to try something different. Something we have never done before. We want to focus on your mental preparation by working with a sports psychologist while we rehab your leg. This will help rebuild your confidence but also ensure that when your leg is ready, you can immediately get back on the field.”
I was hesitant. A sports psychologist? This was not something I was interested in doing, but I wanted to prepare while I was injured, and if this was the only opportunity I had to contribute, then I was in.
The psychologist assigned to me had extensive experience in working with athletes, helping them develop how to use visualization as a means of “mental practice.” The idea was that you could perform mental reps across every situation imaginable, over and over again, so that by the time you were physically in the game, you had already been there. And because you had encountered different scenarios visually, you were prepared for a variety of scenarios as they actually happened. Instead of it feeling unknown and creating additional stress, it was easy to address this “new” situation because you had “been there, done that” mentally and were prepared to handle it.
The process was successful, and I found myself excelling at it. I could see, feel, smell, and hear the game-day atmosphere and experience the upcoming game in my mind. Walking into stadiums, going through warmups, staying prepared on the sidelines, kicking off into different weather situations, kicking short and long field goals. I could visualize all of it.
While injured, I did not lose my confidence because I was making field goals in our visualization sessions. I believed I could make those kicks. I saw them go through the uprights. As I recovered physically—although not fully that year—I began to re-enter the game. I relied heavily on the mental tools I had learned through my sports psychology sessions. We would research the weather forecast and then visualize the full upcoming game from warmups to actual situations during the game. Physically, I was not able to kick as well for that season, but I could handle the mental challenges that went with being injured and I knew I was getting better.
The whole idea of visualization may sound silly, but it’s supported by science. There’s evidence that when athletes visualize playing a game or running a course, they trigger areas in the brain that activate the muscles and improve strength. Done right, visualization involves all your senses. Olympic athletes have long used mental imagery to prepare for events. Emily Cook, veteran American freestyle skier and three-time Olympian, described how her specific imagery scripts and mental rehearsal involving all the senses have helped her maintain longevity in her sport:
“I’d say into a [tape] recorder: ‘I’m standing on the top of the hill. I can feel the wind on the back of my neck. I can hear the crowd,’ kind of going through all those different senses and then actually going through what I wanted to do for the perfect jump. I turn down the in-run. I stand up. I engage my core. I look at the top of the jump. I was going through every little step of how I wanted that jump to turn out.”
The process worked similarly for me. When I saw the game in my mind, I could hear the crowd and the tuba section playing “On Wisconsin.” I could smell the grass (and the bratwurst). I could feel the turf beneath my feet. It was a total sensory experience. Visualization not only helps athletes calm pre-game jitters; it can help them believe they’re destined to win. They’ve played the win over and over in their minds, so they face the real event with a sense of confidence in their skill and strategy. Visualization also builds the muscle memory required for the physical aspects of the game, reducing some of the mental concentration load so the athlete has the bandwidth to respond to changing conditions in real time.
Visualizing winning in business I believe the visualization saved my haggard injured year at Wisconsin and contributed to the success of my record-breaking season the following year. I have used visualization ever since and credit it to some of my success in business. In fact, I highly recommend visualization as a business strategy because it offers the same benefits. I’ve used visualization to help me prepare for important conversations with staff or my leadership team. I’ve used it to help me feel more confident going into sales presentations. Encouraging your team to visualize excellence and success before a critical event will improve their performance.
