As a Chief Executive, I was always keen to enforce a “No Dickheads, No Passengers” hiring policy to ensure we avoided recruiting people with destructive egos and those just coming along for the ride. We looked for people who were positive and engaged, had the mindset to be able to create opportunity from adversity and possess the grit not to give up.  Knowing what I know now, we were looking for people who were mentally tough and there are five reasons that mentally tough people are great for your company culture:

1. They are more positive and confident

Mentally Tough people possess greater self-belief and approach life more positively. This “can do” attitude leads to greater rapport and connectivity with colleagues and customers and so they help to create a more vibrant and energetic culture. 

2. They are more engaged and reliable

Mentally Tough people are goal orientated. They make commitments to themselves and others that they stick with through to the end. If they believe in the vision and the values of your company then its likely that no matter how tough it gets, these people will be by your side and you can rely on them. They won’t give up.

3. They manage stress better

Because mentally tough people are more centred and in control of their life and emotions they are generally calmer, more content and self assured in a crisis. They manage stress and pressure much better and are ideal people to have in a crisis or period of organisational change because they can keep their emotions in check, ride the waves and keep on going.

This is good for company culture because they are less inclined to be distracted or undermine the culture.

4. They are more motivated and ambitious

Mentally Tough people are naturally more motivated to achieve their goals and also possess greater confidence in their ability to do so. This approach is infectious and generates a greater ‘can do’ mindset and energy in your company’s culture.

5. They perform better

It has been proven time and again that mentally tough people are top performers mainly because they have the mindset and motivation to achieve their goals, no matter what happens. This improved performance helps foster a high performance culture, which has got to be great for your company culture and your bottom line.

Finding Mentally Tough people isn’t hit or miss, you can measure mental toughness using a simple, valid and proven online psychometric measure MTQ48.

You can measure and develop the mental toughness in yourself or the people in your company by using MTQ48 and a range of coaching techniques.

Paul Lyons is an experienced CEO, Coach, Speaker, NED and MTQ48 accredited.  As CEO of Mental Toughness Partners, he assists individuals and organisations to develop their mental toughness to improve performance, behaviour and wellbeing.  You can find him at paullyons.com and mentaltoughness.partners