Delegates recalibrate on Day Two of Performance Conference
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Caroline McHugh
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UK Sport 27 November 2012
Among the eclectic mix of speakers on day two of the UK Sport’s World Class Performance Conference, were a “wee baldy bird from Glasgow”, a Knight of the Realm and some of Britain’s most successful Coaches and Performance Directors from London 2012.
Delegates at UK Sport’s 12th annual Conference entered into their first day of workshops by exploring the theme of ‘Calibration’; an opportunity to determine, check or rectify the current position in order to successfully plan the future. Sessions began with a journey of ‘self’ discovery, led by Caroline McHugh, founder of IDOLOGY.
McHugh, who was introduced as a “wee baldy bird from Glasgow”, delivered the first lead session of the day and challenged the delegates in the packed ballroom to answer the question: “Who do you think you are?”
Her speech focused on a range of inspirational figures as she described the “interiority complex” that governs how we see ourselves and how we perceive others see us. She explained how this could prevent people from being true to themselves and urged the audience to draw confidence from remembering: “nobody is better than you and you are better than nobody else.”
Workshops followed where the theme of ‘self’ was explored through the eyes of medal winning London 2012 coaches Malcolm Brown, Amanda Reddin and Dan Hunt, former UK Sport CEO John Steele and mind coach and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe.
From discovering ‘self’ to understanding ‘sustainable success’ delegates heard from two of British sport’s most prolific Performance Directors, David Tanner and Dave Brailsford, plus the team behind Jessica Ennis, who talked about how they take the next step to keep motivation high after achieving their goal, and go from ‘Team Jennis’ to ‘Team Jenesis’.
Andy Parfitt, one of the UK's most experienced leaders in media, who holds the record for the longest serving Controller of Radio 1, delivered the lead session on the theme of ‘sustainable success’. During his time at the BBC Parfitt held the positions of Controller of Popular Music, Radio 1Xtra, the Asian Network, and caretaker Controller of 5 Live at the BBC. Parfitt talked about the importance of the ongoing pursuit of a ‘higher purpose’ in delivering sustainable world class success in any organisation.
Bringing the second day of the Conference to a close was the exuberant co-founder of the Eden Project, Sir Tim Smit, who delivered the lead session on the topic of ‘relationships’.
“I doubt on any evening anywhere in the world there would be more inspirational people in one room than there are here tonight”, Smit began, before telling the story of how his imagined paradise in Cornwall came to being through the power of trust and the strength of relationships between what he described as “a gang of people who made an adventure come true.”
Urging the delegates to take more risks and “grab life by the throat”, Smit’s rousing speech ensured the day ended with as much enthusiasm as it began, leaving the delegates ready to explore yet more powerful relationships first thing tomorrow morning.
