Ben Hunt-Davis - Gold Medallist

In 1998, following another disappointing Rowing World Championships, Ben Hunt-Davis (MBE) and the rest of his GB Eight rowing team realised that they needed to approach things differently if they were to succeed

So they started to ask the same simple question with every single decision and action they took: ‘Will it make the boat go faster?’.

Their journey led them to create sustainable, dependable techniques that put them on track for their gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The following book — co-written with Executive Coach Harriet Beveridge — uses similar strategies to improve performances in business or life.

Ben’s story is not only motivational but applicable to organisations worldwide: he has spoken at conferences in more than 30 countries.

What’s the speech all about?

Ben tells the story of the last 24 months leading up to the Sydney Olympics, changing a losing team to a winning one. His Performance Principles were:

1. Focus on what’s important

2. Focus on performance, in order to get results

3. Work together effectively

It is an engaging, motivational and tailorable speech that can be structured to your current challenges and opportunities. The talk lasts from 45 to 60 minutes and resonates with teams and individuals who are challenged to lead themselves and others to simplify processes, reduce complexity, encourage innovation and improve performance.