List of illustrations by Renzie Hanham
The Human Brain: External structure
The Human Brain: Internal structure – side view
The Human Brain: Structure & function
RED vs BLUE State
Mental Strength Sliding Scale
RED–BLUE Tool
Step Back, Step Up, Step In
The Pressure Equation
The Scale of Mental Intent
Create the Gap
Mental Blueprint
Skill Ladder
Three Circles
The ICE Technique
The Offload Technique
RED–BLUE Debrief
Richie McCaw
In 2015 I played my final game of rugby with the All Blacks. It was our second consecutive Rugby World Cup final victory. No other team had achieved that. We felt a huge expectation but were able to deliver. As captain, I couldn’t have wished for a better way to retire.
Roll back the clock to when I was captain in 2007 and it was a very different story. Despite being favourites we had, yet again, failed to win on rugby’s biggest stage. We’d even left the tournament earlier than any previous All Blacks team. We hadn’t dealt with the pressure and knew that something needed to change.
We looked around for answers and it became evident that Ceri was an obvious choice.
You’ve only got to speak to Ceri for a few minutes: he doesn’t just tell you how it is, he takes you with him. The things he said and the way he said them struck a chord with me straight away. As well as being a doctor working in forensic psychiatry, he’d been a pro-footballer. He made things real.
Ceri explained what happens to the brain under pressure. He showed us examples of how people react differently under pressure and how they go ‘into the RED’. It all made sense. He helped us understand that it’s OK to feel pressure and showed us ways to manage ourselves differently. I learned it wasn’t about pretending it doesn’t happen, it was about how you deal with it. We started to use the RED–BLUE model and straight away I began to see it work.
Over time, we completely changed the way we dealt with pressure.
In the last 20 minutes of the 2011 final, when we really got tested, I realised how important that was. The match was touch and go and I felt myself going into the RED. It could have unfolded like in 2007, but I got back into the BLUE and thought, ‘This is the moment I have pictured and prepared for.’
Not everything was perfect towards the end, but I felt calm. I could see what I needed to do, and I felt myself getting stronger. I wanted to be there.
The tools Ceri gave me had worked but after the weight of expectation in the four years leading up to the 2011 World Cup and the energy it took, the thought of repeating it all again felt too much.
Ceri helped change my perspective. He said, ‘If you try to do it the same way again, you set yourself up to fail.’ From that I knew I needed to look at things differently. He talked about being pioneers, becoming the first team to win back-to-back world cups. I got excited again. He helped change the mindset from ‘What happens if we lose?’ to ‘What happens if we win?’ Simple but powerful.
The things that are really worth chasing involve pressure and that’s what makes them rewarding. I knew we needed to be tested under pressure to be taken to our limits. I began to crave those moments.
No matter what the challenge was, Ceri always had an idea or angle to help me anticipate, deal with it or improve. I was always intrigued to see what he had next. RED–BLUE was just the start.
Now I’m retired from rugby, the things I learned with Ceri are still relevant. I’m a husband, a father, a pilot and although these might not look the same as playing rugby, the lessons in this book relate to anything you do.
When the pressure is on, we all know it affects the way we behave. Anyone can feel under pressure from many different factors: dealing with stress, conflict at work, managing relationships. If you’re curious about how to learn and do those things better, the tools in this book will help you develop the ability to step back, clear your head and deal with it all much more effectively.
From my time in rugby I remain most proud of how we went from a team that struggled to deal with pressure in the big moments to, by the end of my time playing, leading the way. The expectation became that, when it was tight at the end of a match, the All Blacks would get there. Whatever was thrown at us we had learned to find a way. Ceri was a huge part in that turnaround, helping shift our mindsets and raise our thresholds to deal with pressure.
Whatever it is you want to improve in your own life, this book will help you do it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
RM, 2019
When I hear the phrase ‘high performance’, the word ‘PRESSURE’ automatically comes to mind. I don’t think you can have one without the other.
But for many of us, ‘high performance’ feels out of reach – just getting through the day feels like a struggle. That’s why I prefer to think in terms
