I remember hearing the rower Sir Matthew Pinsent describe the ruthless
feedback they gave each other after every training session as they worked
towards another Olympic gold medal.
Pinsent was a member of the British rowing team that won four consecutive Olympic gold medals, three with Sir Steve Redgrave. Matthew described how they had a plan set by their coach, which they worked to religiously. They trained relentlessly and after each session they conducted a debrief with the sole objective of trying to make the boat go faster. They reviewed progress against the plan and they discussed each person’s performance in the boat, seeking to find the learnings, the insight, that would enable them to do better tomorrow. Their feedback was specific, honest, sometimes deeply critical, but always motivated by the desire to reach their shared goal. No one took it personally because everyone knew it was prompted by a desire to improve and to win. The results speak for themselves.
Pinsent was a member of the British rowing team that won four consecutive Olympic gold medals, three with Sir Steve Redgrave. Matthew described how they had a plan set by their coach, which they worked to religiously. They trained relentlessly and after each session they conducted a debrief with the sole objective of trying to make the boat go faster. They reviewed progress against the plan and they discussed each person’s performance in the boat, seeking to find the learnings, the insight, that would enable them to do better tomorrow. Their feedback was specific, honest, sometimes deeply critical, but always motivated by the desire to reach their shared goal. No one took it personally because everyone knew it was prompted by a desire to improve and to win. The results speak for themselves.