02. What did Sir David Do Differently? – Benefits of Coaching – II

Read MoreIn the previous lesson, we saw how Sir David Brailsford completely transformed the British Cycling team from an underperforming team to become the number one cycling team in the world.

In this lesson we explore…

What Sir David Did to Bring About the British Cycling Team’s Transformation

 So, what did Sir David do differently, you ask? He adopted a coaching mindset!

Which means that Sir David was constantly working with the team to improve their performance.

Specifically, here are a few methods or techniques that he applied:

1. Reinvent Team Practices:

Sir David was never content to just follow what other cycling teams did; he constantly worked with his team to reinvent team practices. For instance, most cycling teams compete in as many practice races and cycling events as possible throughout the season. But Sir David did not encourage this, as he realised that this practice left very little time for actual coaching. So he cut down on the number of races the team participated in and focused on winning the races they did participate in.

2. People Don’t Like to Be Told What to Do:

According to Sir David, people do not respond well to the “Command and Control” style of management. People don’t like to be given non-negotiable tasks. They like to be asked about their opinion. Highly motivated individuals want to win and will have plenty of opinions on how the team can achieve this.

3. Adopt the Philosophy of Marginal Gains:

 Sir David is the inventor of the “Marginal Gains” philosophy, which is based on the idea of continuous improvement.

He theorised that that if you improved each activity by a small percentage, a marginal amount, the combined gains can lead you to significant improvement.

Going by this philosophy, Sir David and his team looked at the most seemingly insignificant factors and how they could be bettered. They applied the philosophy of marginal gains to everything; from equipment innovations, protective gear and clothing, to creating a mode of transport which keeps the riders relaxed and comfortable, to introducing psychologists to help the team deal with negative thought patterns, and using aerodynamically efficient clothing fabrics and getting the best pillows for ideal sleep – nothing was too trivial for Sir David and his team.

4. Be a Rock of Consistency:

As a coach, Sir David is known to be a rock of consistency. Always enthusiastic, energetic and positive, his attitude is said to be excellent. He reacts in the same way and maintains his composure, even in times of crisis. And that’s the mark of an exceptional coach.

 But…

 Did the team manage to sustain this change?

 Unfortunately, in 2014 the British Cycling team saw a sudden and steep dip in performance. After winning the Tour de France two years in a row, Sir David’s Team Sky crashed out. Their defending champion Chris Froome was seriously injured and after two successive gold medals, they ended the year without a podium finish.

So, what went wrong? According to Sir David, the team members were getting too comfortable and were too aligned in their thinking. He realised it was important to create an atmosphere that allowed for a cognitive diversity of ideas with his team. Maintaining their success was about constantly pushing the envelope and creating new ways to optimise their performance.

With this newfound principle in mind, Sir David got his team back on track, which then went on to achieve four consecutive Tour de France victories! Meaning, coaching is not a one-time activity, but a consistent process.

In this lesson, we saw how consistently embracing a coaching mindset helped transform Britain’s cycling team from mediocre and almost bankrupt to the best ranking team in the world.

How a coaching mindset can benefit employees, managers and the organisation as a whole will be discussed at length in subsequent lessons.

Happy Learning!