The One Habit That Stops You Overthinking

A note to young leaders.

Are you feeling under pressure? Becoming snappy, stressed or a little grouchy?

There is another way.

Smile like D-Mac.

The All Blacks goal kicker, Damian McKenzie, has one of the most recognisable pre-kick routines in rugby. He looks up at the posts, looks down at the ball, then looks back up – and smiles faintly (or is that a grin?). Then he kicks.

The smile stops him from over-thinking, and reminds him that he loves playing rugby.

And it’s backed by science. Research shows that smiles interrupt the stress response and act as a cue to focus on process rather than outcome.

With the Iran war, inflation and tax law changes afoot – businesses are under pressure to adapt.

Scowling, frowning and clenching your jaw are a natural reaction – but they won’t help you win.

What if, instead, you smiled?

Reconnect with the fact that you wanted this. That you chose this. That somewhere underneath the weight of all that responsibility, you love what you do and you’re bloody good at it.

So the next time you’re about to walk into a high-stakes meeting or negotiation, take a breath.

Look up. Look down. Look up again.

And smile.

Then walk in.