Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don't

Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don't

By Paul Sullivan

Drawing on new research and interviews with stars across a range of fields, Sullivan uncovers the shared traits that define clutch performers and explains how anyone can apply these lessons.

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Book Information

Publisher: Portfolio
Publish Date: 09/02/2010
Pages: 246
ISBN-13: 9781591843504
ISBN-10: 1591843502
Language: English

What We're Saying

November 24, 2010

strategy + business's "best of" list is always a special treat—in large part because it's never just a list, but a series of essays. The magazine gathers together a different team of experts each year, and each takes the task of writing on their chosen category and the books in it. I've listed their picks below, linking to the essays at the head of each category. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

March 25, 2015

The Thin Green Line

By Porchlight

Paul Sullivan's new book, The Thin Green Line, discusses the difference between being rich and being truly wealthy. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Full Description

Is clutch performance innate-or can it be learned?
Sooner or later everyone encounters a situation in which the stakes are high and the outcome is crucial. And even top performers can crumble when faced with such extreme pressure. Consider the CEO who panics in a desperate attempt to shore up his company's earnings, the veteran politician who grows overconfident and loses to the upstart candidate, the quarterback who carries his team to the Super Bowl but falls apart in the final quarter. All of them choked. But then there are the performers who thrive under such conditions: the ER doctor racing the clock to save someone's life, the lieutenant who leads his platoon to victory after an ambush, the young attorney who refuses to be intimidated in court and wins the crucial case.
These people are clutch, and their ability to overcome extreme pressure consistently and beat the toughest odds fascinates us. How do they do it? According to Paul Sullivan, clutch performance does not stem from an innate ability. It's a learned skill: the art of operating in high-stress situations as if they were everyday conditions. Even some of the most experienced and talented performers lack this skill-but Sullivan shows that anyone can develop it. Drawing on new research and interviews with stars across a range of fields, Sullivan uncovers the shared traits that define clutch performers and explains how anyone can apply their strategies. He builds his case through many inspiring true stories, including those of
* a skinny sergeant who saved his battalion in Iraq;
* a rookie baseball player who pitched his team into its first World Series;
* an eccentric psychiatrist who trained a group of financial traders to become the best in the world;
* a lawyer who struggled in school but became one of the top litigators in America.
Full of powerful advice and real-world examples, "Clutch" will show you how to overcome extreme pressure to achieve greatness.

About the Author

Paul Sullivan's journalism and photography work has been published in a variety of international publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, BBC Travel and more.

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