Tough times don't last, but tough people do! New personnel enhancement program to build Mental Toughness into modern organisations

To support organisations in the current climate, ValueEdge has developed MTT (Mental Toughness Training), a highly specialised personnel enhancement program to identify and nurture high performance and mentally tough personnel.

Mark Mathieson, Consultant Psychologist with ValueEdge and developer of MTT, equates Mental Toughness Training to Stress Management training … in reverse. "Stress Management tends to take a reactive approach, assuming that people aren't coping with things and teaches them how to get back to normal."

"Mental Toughness Skills however are preventative, providing a process by which an individual or organisation can enhance their ability to cope in the first place, resulting in an increased capacity to cope and get on with the job when adversity strikes," he explained.

The development of this program is based on Mark's extensive experience in dealing with qualities of 'tough people', having recently spent four years as a Military Psychologist in the selection and training of personnel for elite special forces and involved in the debriefing of personnel in extreme regions such as Antarctica.

"The characteristics required to cope well and bounce back from high pressure situations are buried below the surface in our personalities," explained Mark. "They tend to relate to four key approaches to work based on self-control, optimism in the face of challenges, grit and confidence in ourselves and our interactions with others," he added.

In his work with the military, Mark supported personnel to develop resilience to cope with their military deployment while still keeping in control of other personnel challenges at home - from whether their kids are coping with school to whether their bills are getting paid.

"It is their ability to retain a sense of control over all of these factors that allows them to continue to function at a high level into the future," Mark says.

Mental Toughness - equally pivotal to corporate success

According to Mark, the same principles apply within the corporate sector. "Training individuals in Mental Toughness provides skills for life; the skills don't just apply in one particular situation or environment."

To bring these skills to the corporate sector, Mark's development of the MTT program will assist organisations interested in building the capacity of their personnel to cope, through enhancing Mental Toughness.

MTT involves the measurement and enhancement of Mental Toughness factors and then "Pressure Testing" individuals through scenario-based exercises to gain mastery and comfort with their new skills. Areas of improvement are identified and personalised Mental Toughness Skills training programs are then developed and implemented within the organisation over a period of time.

"The foundations and structure built into MTT is based on research that indicates that workstyle development programs such as MTT are greatly enhanced when implemented over a medium to long-term time timeframe," said Mark.

"In MTT, such timeframes allow for individuals and teams to practice skills, provide feedback, and incorporate real-world experiences into the development of their Mental Toughness skills. The tailoring of each program whilst still meeting the strategic objectives and operational realities of each organisation is pivotal to the strength of the MTT program," he added.

For more information about Mental Toughness, ValueEdge's MTT program or to request an MTT information kit, contact Mark Mathieson, ValueEdge Consulting Psychologist on +61 3 9690 4550 or email mark@valuedge.com.au.