The Making of a Leader
Performance psychologist Tom Young talks about his recent book, The Making of a Leader, and the role Lancaster played in his journey so far.
Tom arrived at Lancaster to study psychology, but harbouring a passion for both sport and writing. His first book, out now, combines all three subject areas.
“When I initially chose psychology, I didn’t plan on becoming a psychologist. I thought the course would open up different options, maybe teaching or a role in HR. Then, whilst at Lancaster, I gained an opportunity of work experience within elite sport and that was the spark. I thought, this is what I want to do.”
Upon graduating from Lancaster, Tom continued his studies with a Master's in Sport Psychology at Liverpool John Moores, before completing his qualification as a chartered psychologist. “It was a long journey, about nine years in total, and, whilst we didn’t study sport psychology at Lancaster, the syllabus gave me a broad grounding in the different psychological theories and approaches.”
Tom went on to take a role within a business consultancy firm, before founding his own company, Cognite. Today, Cognite works with clients in business and elite sport, driving high performance by developing mindsets and connecting teams.
“It was a big step for me to move away and start Cognite. We’d just had a new baby and were in the middle of house renovation, but it was the right thing to do. We work with a variety of clients, ranging from businesses including Zizzi Restaurants and The Alchemist, to sports teams including the Belgian football team, Team Europe at the Ryder Cup and PGA golfer Tommy Fleetwood.”
In July 2020, Tom published his first book, The Making of a Leader, a unique guide to leadership in high-performance environments. It is based on interviews and experiences from the cutting edge of elite sport and took Tom four years to finish.
“The book actually started out as a piece of academic research, but it quickly became apparent that the rich data I’d collected would make an interesting book. I was fortunate to have access to some great interviewees, who were all generous with their time. My role is really as the narrator or scribe. I’d always wanted to write a book, but I didn’t expect it to happen this early in my career. I just had to take the opportunity.”
The Making of a Leader is out now and available to buy at Amazon and all the usual book stores https://cognite.uk.com/the-making-of-a-leader/
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