I have a friend who used to be the high performance coach of an AFL team (Australian Football).

He told me his job was to have the players living in the present moment for as long as possible. Elite athletes perform at their best when they are in the present moment – not thinking about what’s just happened, or what’s about to happen. This is sometimes called being in the zone.

I think the same is true for most of the things I do in business. Leadership, sales, writing, speaking, mentoring (and pretty much everything else) works better if I’m present.

So … in business, how do you spend more time in the present moment? Here’s one idea.

Whatever you’re doing, just pretend it’s already happened. As though you’re watching a movie. If you’re running a sales meeting, pretend the outcome is already decided. Your job is to show up, be present, and see how it turns out.

Think of yourself as the actor in the movie, not the writer or the director.

It’s the same leading the business. Show up, be present, and see how it turns out.

Give it a go and see what happens. I’d love to hear.