Crunch Time

How to Be Your Best When It Matters Most

By Rick Peterson and Judd Hoekstra

Now available!

Nobody knows pressure like a major league pitcher—an entire game can rest on a single throw. For years, Rick Peterson has helped some of baseball’s finest deal with this kind of intense situation. In Crunch Time, he and leadership expert Judd Hoekstra share the secret to delivering when the stakes are high. It’s a skill available to anyone, not just elite athletes. It’s called reframing.

Reframing enables you to see a difficult situation in a different light so you can make the most of it. The problem is that when you’re under pressure, evolution has hardwired you to react as though you’re being threatened: butterflies in the stomach, cold sweat, shaking hands, racing mind. This amped-up state was perfect for when a saber-toothed tiger was on your heels, but as Peterson and Hoekstra show, these responses actually work against you in modern-day pressure situations like a job interview, a big presentation, a final exam, or the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded.

But if you can “reframe” a high-pressure situation into something less daunting, it shifts from a threat that can make you panic to an opportunity for you to shine. The authors offer six different reframing strategies, illustrated with fascinating examples from Peterson’s work with some of the top names in sports—including the Moneyball-era Oakland A’s and Michael Jordan—as well as numerous examples from everyday life. At crunch time, you can experience the pain of choking or the pure joy of coming through. This book gives you the knowledge, skill, and confidence you need to consistently be your best when it matters most.

“In business as in baseball, your ability to perform under pressure can make or break your career. Crunch Time will teach you how to thrive in high-stakes situations.”
—Travis Bradberry, bestselling coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0