It’s good to know how something works in principle. It’s better to meet somebody who has achieved at the highest level and is now passing on that wisdom to others. To celebrate 30 years of Leicestershire based Hothorpe Hall near Market Harborough, Steve Cram MBE was invited to talk to local business owners about his career. And what a career – he has been involved at the highest level in middle distance running, BBC athletics commentary, and more recently coaching. He was also heavily involved in securing the London 2012 bid.
Steve Cram and Alastair Campbell
What is clear from his talk is that whatever activity Steve has been involved in, he has used the methodology of the professional athlete. From diet to coaching to business, he approaches it with the starting question – what can realistically be done to achieve this?
He starts by setting a clear big picture objective – what do we want to achieve at the end of this process? For example, how many gold medals, how many athletes to compete, what time does it need to be run in? Then, working backwards, what changes need to be made? What are the things that could stop it from happening? What else are other people doing that we could learn from?
By asking these questions and piecing the answers together he has achieved remarkable results and to hear him talk about them was a real honour. To hear the behind the scenes stories about the Brownlee brother’s Triathlon training, the British cycling team, or competing against Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe was fascinating. He even spent about half an hour at the end answering questions from the audience, and then stayed around for pictures.
What an inspiring person with a simple and clear plan that we could all benefit from – if we are willing to take a disciplined approach along the way.
With thanks to Nigel Ord-Smith Photography
Alastair Campbell, The Ideal Marketing Company
