Tiny improvements

16th August 2012

Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen and heard of a number of things which have re-inforced my beliefs about coaching, and about what can be possible if you want things badly enough.

No doubt if you were to dig deep enough into the personal stories of many of the athletes there would be numerous tales of triumph born out of tragedy. These are the people that don’t lie down and say “OK I give up” when setback after setback hit them. Personal loss, illness, injury, lack of opportunity or lack of support could all play a part in the formation of someone or something great. To bounce back from any or all of these takes courage and character, and to keep on bouncing back can take huge determination and self belief, but that is often what it takes to be the best.

Of course there are other things which help with this. One of my “coaching heroes”, Sir Clive Woodward yet again came up with a fascinating insight into why he gets the best out of his team. Charged with being deputy chef de mission for Team GB at the Olympics, it is no surprise to me that we fared so well. One of the key parts of his mantra is looking at every facet of the team/business and seeing how he can improve it. He says “Look to do 100 things by 10% better than everyone else”, and this bound to make you a winner.

When I am coaching I too get my clients to do lots and lots of little improvements. Trying to take a quantum leap is too daunting for most people, but make little changes for the better in lots of aspects of your business will keep you ahead of the competition, and right now keep your head above water.

Keep fighting, keep bouncing back, keep looking for small improvements and in the end you will win.

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