All Blacks' red-blue thinking lights a path everyone else should follow – Mindset Drives Performance.

New Zealand were comfortably the best team in the tournament, if not necessarily in the final in which France again confounded all opinion and put in a massive performance.

Post World Cup final interviews with New Zealand head coach Graham Henry and Captain Richie McCaw talked about the mindset the All Blacks had been developing to ensure they were in a position to deal with adversity in a positive manner.

Mindset drives performance - it glues together all the thinking elements and maintains the route to success in hostile, pressurised environments.

Adversity certainly appeared to envelop the No 10 jersey, from the loss during the qualifying pool stages of Dan Carter and the subsequent injuries to two successors. But New Zealand coped, and their fourth incumbent, Stephen Donald, kicked the winning points.

McCaw spoke about the adaptability of the squad when adversity struck and of dealing with it, using clarity of thought and execution that enables a group to get back on task and, more importantly, remain there.

Graham Henry made several references to the world of blue and red-headed behaviour that helped the group to recognise and understand early-warning signs of negative developments.  There are triggers that, if left to fester, can cause disruption, even to the best prepared team or individual.

Mental skills must be an integral part of preparation on a regular basis. They are not a one off intervention and they do improve with practice – look at world class golfers, who will spend up to six hours a day on the putting green conditioning their minds to sink the put.

With the 2011 World Cup still 12 months away, Graham Henry, through the All Blacks' mental conditioning coach, enlisted the help of Gazing Performance Systems, to assist in mentally preparing the All Blacks, not just for the World Cup Final but during the lead up to it.

The fundamental premise of Gazing Performance Systems is to provide a framework and tools that help people to think clearly and correctly under pressure by stripping away any mystique and complexity, for example making it readily accessible to all in any organisation.

The approach was easily understood and had practical applications. This was not generalisation about having confidence and belief, nor did it attempt to compare with neuro-biological science. It involved a common-sense approach, applicable to all areas of preparation.

Mental skills are integral to preparation and success in all areas of life. Perhaps we should pay them a little more respect.