Marc Woods

JLA Client Comments

EXTRACT FROM JLA SPEAKERS BREAKFAST

In Atlanta I really thought we had a relay team that could win - then we came second. I was absolutely devastated. It wasn't until I watched the race again that I realised where we had gone wrong. I saw on the podium two happy guys and two sad guys. In that moment it dawned on me that as a team we had totally different objectives. We lost purely because we didn't all believe in what we were doing. Some were happy to come second - and there is a big difference between that and wanting to win.

I started to wonder whether the people in the support team that worked with us were as motivated as we were. Even the people who put the lane ropes in the pool -if they put them in 5 minutes late, I would miss 5 minutes of training. And I bet Australia don't miss out on 5 minutes of training every day.

We decided we would get everyone to focus on what they were doing - to understand that if they could do their job as well as they could, every day, we had a better chance of winning a gold medal. It doesn't matter what your job is - if we get everyone to move on a fraction, it would have an accumulative effect.

That was our focus - and because of that, our team went on to be seven seconds quicker in Athens - it was already a world record.

Q&A

JLA: Swimming is a solo activity - when did the penny drop about teamwork?
MW: When we lost a relay by 1/10th of a second. Two swimmers were disappointed, and two were delighted with silver. I realised we had competed as individuals, not as a team.

JLA: How do you generate genuine teamwork?
MW: Identify a common goal, ensure people understand each other's role and recognise the unsung contributors who are often ignored.

JLA: What should a team leader be asking him or herself?
MW: Is everyone doing their job well? Do I know what really motivates each one of them? How can I keep them all motivated?

JLA: Can you re-ignite enthusiasm when someone feels like giving up?
MW: Very often, yes. Start by pinpointing the gap between how they actually behave and how they want to behave.