Helena Frye
'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?' is a leadership and performance consultancy that helps teams achieve what they may never have thought possible. The phrase originates from Ben Hunt-Davis, the captain of Great Britain's male rowing eight team, who in 1998, consistently failed to win a medal or make it into the final of major competitions. So, the captain came up with a simple rule: for every activity that the team thought about doing, they would ask Will it make the boat go faster?.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Author | Harriet Beveridge |
| Co-author | Ben Hunt-Davis |
| Type | Book |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Theme | Leadership, performance, self-improvement |
| Target audience | Managers, leaders, call centre staff, sales reps, athletes, shop assistants |
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What You'll Learn
Leadership and performance consultancy
The phrase 'will it make the boat go faster' comes from Ben Hunt-Davis, the captain of Great Britain's male rowing eight team. In 1998, the team was consistently failing to win medals or make it into the finals of major competitions. So, Hunt-Davis came up with a simple rule: for every activity the team thought about doing, they would ask themselves, 'will it make the boat go faster?'. This question helped the team to focus on only those things that improved their performance and avoid distractions that did not add value.
Hunt-Davis and his team's strategy has been adapted by leadership and performance consultancies, who use it to help teams achieve what they may never have thought possible. These consultancies work with clients to get crystal clear on their purpose, create and embed a high-performance culture, and inspire and excite behavioural change at the individual level. The aim is to encourage company-wide shifts in performance that deliver an outstanding uplift in business results.
For example, Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? is a leadership and performance consultancy that delivers content virtually and in person. They help clients define their ambition and achieve what they never thought was possible. The consultancy is co-authored by Harriet Beveridge, an executive coach, and Hunt-Davis himself, who won Olympic Gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as part of the Men's Rowing Eight. The pair have been road-testing their methods for 10 years with clients from all walks of life, including managers, leaders, call centre staff, sales reps, athletes, and shop assistants.
Their book, *Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? Olympic-Winning Strategies for Everyday Success*, is divided into 11 chapters, each of which is split into two halves. It is full of practical tips and entertaining stories, making it a great read for anyone looking to create a high-performing team or improve their own life. The sporting references are easy to apply to everyday business and personal situations, and the simple message of 'will it make the boat go faster'? is a powerful reminder to focus on what matters.
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Resilience and leadership
The phrase 'will it make the boat go faster' is a reference to the captain of Great Britain's male rowing eight team, Ben Hunt-Davis, who in 1998, after consistently failing to win a medal, came up with a simple rule to help his team focus on their goal. The rule was that for every activity the team thought about doing, they would ask themselves: 'will it make the boat go faster?'.
This simple question is a great reminder to focus on only those things that improve a situation and not get distracted by ideas that don't add value. It is a way to define your ambition and achieve what you never thought was possible.
Ben Hunt-Davis's simple rule is a great example of resilient leadership. By asking his team to focus on the activities that would make the boat go faster, he was able to inspire a company-wide shift in performance. This shift in performance delivered outstanding results, and the team went on to win Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000.
Hunt-Davis and Executive Coach Harriet Beveridge have since teamed up to show others how to use similar strategies to improve their own lives and achieve their goals. Their methods have been road-tested for 10 years with clients from all walks of life, including managers, leaders, athletes, and shop assistants.
The story of 'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?' is a great example of how resilience and leadership can help teams achieve what they never thought was possible. By asking the simple question, 'will it make the boat go faster?', leaders can inspire their teams to focus on their goals and create a high-performance culture.
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Performance strategies and plans
The simplicity of this question is a great reminder to focus on only those things that improve a situation and not get distracted by ideas that don't add value. This strategy can be applied to business and personal situations. It can help leaders and teams define their ambition and achieve what they never thought was possible. It can also help create and embed a high-performance culture and inspire and excite behavioural change at the individual level.
The strategy can be used to encourage company-wide shifts in performance that deliver an outstanding uplift in business results. It can also be used to achieve high performance in challenging circumstances. For example, Cath, a world champion, Olympic silver medallist and international diplomat, draws on her unique combination of experiences to understand the resilience and leadership required to achieve high performance in challenging circumstances.
The strategy can also be applied to personal goals. Harriet Beveridge, an executive coach, has teamed up with Ben Hunt-Davis to show how to use similar strategies to improve your own life. They have been road-testing these methods for 10 years with clients from all walks of life, including managers, leaders, call centre staff, sales reps, athletes and shop assistants.
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High-performance culture
The phrase 'Will it make the boat go faster?' comes from Ben Hunt-Davis, the captain of Great Britain's male rowing eight team. In 1998, the team had been consistently failing to win medals or even make it into the finals of major competitions. To turn things around, Hunt-Davis came up with a simple rule: for every activity the team considered doing, they would ask themselves, 'Will it make the boat go faster?'. This question helped the team focus on actions that would improve their performance and avoid distractions that did not add value.
The idea has since been applied to business and personal situations, with Hunt-Davis and Executive Coach Harriet Beveridge co-authoring a book, *Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? Olympic-Winning Strategies for Everyday Success*, which provides practical tips for creating high-performance teams.
The book is divided into 11 chapters, each split into two halves, and offers strategies for achieving success in various areas of life, from business leadership to personal goal-setting. It is particularly relevant for those seeking to improve their performance and achieve what they may have previously thought impossible.
The concept of 'Will it make the boat go faster?' encourages individuals and teams to define their ambitions, get clear on their purpose, and make behavioural changes that align with their goals. By asking this simple question, people can cut through the noise and distractions of everyday life and focus on the actions that will truly make a difference in achieving their desired outcomes.
In a business context, this might involve making company-wide shifts in performance, inspiring and exciting individuals to embrace behavioural change, and ultimately delivering outstanding results. Whether in sport, business, or personal life, adopting a 'Will it make the boat go faster?' mindset can help drive growth, improve performance, and achieve success.
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Behavioural change
The phrase 'will it make the boat go faster' comes from Ben Hunt-Davis, the captain of Great Britain's male rowing eight team. In 1998, the team was consistently failing to win medals or even make it into the finals of major competitions. Hunt-Davis came up with a simple rule: for every activity the team thought about doing, they would ask themselves whether it would make the boat go faster. This question helped the team to focus on only those things that improved their performance and avoid distractions that did not add value.
The idea has since been applied to business and personal situations, with Hunt-Davis and executive coach Harriet Beveridge teaming up to write a book, *Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? Olympic-Winning Strategies for Everyday Success*. The book is full of practical tips and ideas to help people from all walks of life achieve their goals.
The concept has also been applied to leadership and performance consultancy. 'Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?' helps leaders and teams define their ambitions and achieve what they never thought was possible. The consultancy gets clients clear on their purpose, helps to create and embed a high-performance culture, and inspires and excites behavioural change at the individual level.
By asking whether an action will make the boat go faster, individuals can focus on the activities that will truly help them achieve their goals and avoid those that will not. This can be applied to business, personal, and sporting situations, helping people to improve their performance and achieve success.
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Frequently asked questions
'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster' is a leadership and performance consultancy that helps teams achieve what they may never have thought possible. It is also the title of a book by Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge, which offers Olympic-winning strategies for everyday success.
'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster' is for anyone looking to create a high-performing team, whether that be in business or in their personal life.
'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster' was first used by Ben Hunt-Davis, the captain of Great Britain's male rowing eight team in 1998. The team had been consistently failing to win a medal, so Hunt-Davis came up with a simple rule: for every activity that the team thought about doing, they would ask "Will it make the boat go faster?".
The key takeaway from 'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster' is to focus on the things that improve a situation and not get distracted by ideas that don't add value.
