In 1998, following another disappointing Rowing World Championships, Ben Hunt-Davis (MBE) and the rest of his GB Eight rowing team realised that if they carried on doing what they were doing, they would keep getting what they’d been getting – which was a lot of 7th place finishes!
So instead, they decided to approach things differently, critically, asking the same simple question with every single conversation, decision and action they took: ‘Will it make the boat go faster?’.
Ben tells the story of the last 24 months leading up to the Sydney Olympics and how the Great Britain Men’s Eights changed as a crew from being a regularly 7th placed boat to a winning one. The story is one of a group of individuals forged into a winning team by following a set of Performance Principles, habitually and consistently, in everything they did. Those Performance Principles were:
– Focus on what’s important
– Focus on performance, in order to get results
– Work together effectively
It is an engaging, motivational and inspiring speech that can be tailored to you and your current challenges and opportunities. The Great Britain Men’s Eights’ collective focus, direction and drive to succeed was captured in the execution of the clear and direct question – ‘Will it make the boat go faster?’.
The simplicity of the question and its implied focus and action consistently resonates with teams and individuals who are challenged to lead themselves and others to simplify process, reduce complexity, innovate and improve performance.
Ben is one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the world. Some of the great value of Ben is that he is an ordinary guy who achieved something extraordinary. The presence of a humble man on the stage puts everyone at ease so they can enjoy and relate to his Olympic story.
Ben’s speech will take 45 – 60 minutes and is tailored to fit with your key messages. It can be delivered both virtually and face to face. Click below for more information on the speech process and optional workshops to ensure your delegates can immediately begin to apply the ideas.
Ben provided an inspirational talk in which he fused the ethos of his Olympic gold medal winning team and its application in the business world. His delivery was energetic, engaging and entertaining – the audience were encouraged to participate and Ben managed to take them along with him as he recounted his Olympic story with humility. Most importantly, Ben’s message has never been more relevant in an industry where the smallest of changes can help gain the competitive edge. We all went away thinking about how we could ensure that own boats went faster.
If you would like to add even more value to your conference or team event – we can co-design and deliver the event for you, inspiring teams and bringing to life your key objectives through the power of our speaker’s stories and our facilitators. Through our additional workshops, people open up to learning, goal setting and new habits, understanding the way forward and making a real commitment to be part of the change.
Read more about Conference and Team Event Design and Facilitation or call us on 020 3870 7088 to speak to one of our team.
Additionally, Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? performance programmes, workshops, coaching and consulting work explores in further depth how individuals and teams can become the best they can be.
