admin, Author at Dr. Alex Diaz Consulting

Effective Leadership Tool

Leaders are constantly figuring out the best course of action to resolve or promote ideas hoping to produce results that will favorably impact the organization. However, the process of decision making is often marred by emotional, cognitive, and relationship impairments that conduce counter-productive feedbacks. Leaders that invest in their own emotional awareness are more likely to positively connect with their team members. Leadership is an art, not a science; poor execution of emotional interconnectedness has …

Mohammed Ali

For those who were fortunate enough to see him boxing, he was an undisputed champion, who moved on the quadrilateral with such a grace, agility and power that was beautiful to watch. Mohammed Ali passed away on June 3rd, 2016 at the age of 74. He was known not only for his multiple boxing championships, but also for his strong stance on social issues that included racism, religion, and equality. He will be sadly missed. …

Leaders Need to Embrace the Emotional Side of Human Interactions

Leaders are individuals who feel comfortable with authority. They make fast decisions and focus their work on achieving goals. They are pragmatic, efficient and thrive in a fast-pace environment. A weakness often found in leaders is their perceived lack of emotional connectedness with the people they so rely on to do the job. It is quite common that leaders are often characterized as being insensitive and behave in a guarded manner. Whether the leader is …

Failing is NOT the Same as Losing

We strive to achieve our best. We set goals that will lead us to meet our objectives. We persevere despite the many obstacles that come our way. However, there are no guarantees that what we set out to attain will be achieved as expected. Along the way, there will be major disappointments, unexpected setbacks, delays, and, yes, loses. But, do not confuse loses with failures. It was surely not the case for Spencer Silver who, …

Emotional intelligence and stress management

According to Daniel Goldman, emotional intelligence (EI) is a personality trait that depicts the individual’s ability to regulate emotions, be aware of his/her own self in relation to others, be emphatic with others, have social skills, and high level of self-motivation. It is the ability to comfortably relate to others while being comfortable with your own self. Much has been written on strategies to reduce stress. Many of them focus on cognitive re-appraisal, breathing relaxation, …

Great New Site and Expanded Services

Welcome to our exciting April!! I am very pleased to share with all of you that we have re-designed our website. Dr. Alex Diaz Consulting is now a more integrated webpage aimed at learning strategies to manage stress. Regardless of whether you are an individual dealing with life stressors, an athlete hoping to reach your peak performance, a student having to meet high academic expectations, or a professional business person wanting to find strategies to …

Are You Sticking with Your Sports Goals?

Top athletes come totally prepared before competition. They worked on improving their skills, ate properly and immersed themselves in mental and behavioral rituals that help them push distractions aside. They don’t just show up and hope for the best. Instead, they are well aware that competition starts way before the referee blows the whistle. To meet their expectations, they set goals that address each one of the areas they need to focus on: skills, nutrition, …

Rye High School (Female Team) and St. Luke’s Varsity Team (Male and Female)

3-talk class on Sport Psychology at the Scarsdale Adult School on March 15-22-29. Rye High School (Female Team) and St. Luke’s Varsity Team (Male and Female). The female varsity squash team for Rye High School and the male and female varsity squash teams from St. Luke’s School in New Canaan have included my sport psychology services to prepare them for U.S. High School Team Squash Championships to be played in February. I am super excited to participate …

Fighting Over Slums in Sports

As Jerry Lynch indicates, there are two kind of athletes: those who went through a slump period and those will go through a slump period. It is inevitable that, sooner or later, athletes eventually go through periods in their careers where their learned skills are abandoning them. They put in a lot of time improving their skills only to end up scratching their heads wondering how long this down period will last. It is quite …

Treat Your Championship Game Like Any Other Game. Really?

In preparation for the upcoming Super Bowl 50, TV commentators asks athletes, coaches, and professionals for their experiences playing championship matches and they all emphasize that, although it is just a game, they cannot completely put aside the emotions that come up when such a pivotal game is on the line. Any athlete who picked up a sport from a young age, whether it is football, golf, tennis, or any other sport, has at one …