Training for Pressure with Greg Poss

Pressure does not create a response. It exposes the response that has already been trained. Former professional hockey coach and mental strength coach Greg Poss returns to explain how leaders can recognize fear-driven reactions, return to a more deliberate state, and build resilience before the stakes rise. Greg, John McMahon, and John Kaplan examine why external achievement delivers only temporary satisfaction, how a leader’s emotional state influences the performance of the team, and why productive discomfort must be paired with a clear path forward. They also discuss practical tools including breathing, visualization, self-awareness, and Greg’s 21-day process for building more consistent responses in high-pressure environments.

Greg Poss spent decades coaching professional hockey in the United States and Europe, including leading the Mannheim Eagles to a championship and coaching the German national team. He now works with athletes, coaches, and business leaders to strengthen mental resilience and improve performance under pressure.

Connect with Greg:

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• Website

Resources mentioned:

• The Peter Attia Drive Podcast, Ep. #399 ‒ The evolution of Alzheimer's disease and dementia care: how early detection, personalized treatment, new therapies, and a multimodal approach are changing the landscape | Gayatri Devi, M.D.
• Greg Poss's 21-Day Brain Training Program

Other Revenue Builders appearances:

• ”The Most Important Reward Is The Process” with Greg Poss

Key takeaways from this episode: 

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 03:05 – Why Greg believes the brain must be trained to respond deliberately before pressure arrives.
• 07:41 – How frustration, anger, and anxiety can signal that fear is beginning to shape a leader’s response.
• 16:25 – Why external achievements provide temporary satisfaction, while sustained fulfillment comes from the process of learning and mastery.
• 23:50 – How a leader’s emotional state influences the energy, confidence, and performance of the people around them.
• 36:04 – Why pushing people outside their comfort zones only produces growth when leaders also provide the tools and path forward.
• 50:45 – How victim thinking blocks accountability, learning, and the ability to improve after a setback.
• 57:29 – Why effective visualization includes adversity, friction, and the response required when events do not go according to plan.

Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.

This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.

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