In this book Lord Coe explores the many parallels between training for a major sporting competition, campaigning as a politician and bidding for a multi-million pound contract.
"...commit yourself fully...you may just be surprised"
In this book Lord Coe explores the many parallels between training for a major sporting competition,
campaigning as a politician and bidding for a multi-million pound contract.
The book is dedicated to, and indeed inspired by, his father, who was also his coach, a remarkable man by anyone’s standards. During the Second World War he was captured and was later to jump from a moving train, en route to a prisoner of war camp. From occupied France, he walked – all night, every night – across all kinds of terrain, until he reached Spain. There he was imprisoned before returning to England a year later.
He inspired respect, and as a coach he challenged the accepted training norms of the time. He taught the young Coe to “stay true to your own path and don’t allow yourself to be hindered by others’ expectations or limitations”.
“Those with a winning mentality are often more prepared to listen to criticism and to do things in a new way….keep driving forward.”
This theme of Creating the vision is prevalent throughout the book. “I can not overstate the importance of having a vision. It is what you cling to, for dear life, when the project is proving particularly difficult.”
Creating the vision is not about the How but the Why; the human factor. The Why is the vision that motivates people to succeed. He gives the example that the London 2012 bid was not won because of the How e.g. good project management (though that is crucial) but what kept everyone on the team, working day and night, was the opportunity to change and enhance lives of future generations, in their case primarily through sport.
He talks about the key measures to apply to ensure success:
- Planning – Setting the goals and early attention to detail.
- Foresight – There is an intellectual rigour required to achieve the best possible outcome in any situation. Human error tends to be the norm, an effective leader will anticipate problems.
- Responsibility – Assume the worst will happen and ensure you are in control.
- Communication - Leaders need to listen not only to what is being said, but also to what is not being said, great leaders intuitively tune-in to the sub-text as well.
When the topic turns to failure and set backs, he notes that “it is in those moments of doubt and uncertainty that I really learned something about myself and about the nature of my resolve to emerge stronger and better placed to tackle the challenge.”
Lord Coe finishes with a statement that exemplifies his winning attitude, “my advice is to understand and absorb the lessons life throws at you, to focus on your goals, to continually challenge yourself and never be deterred by seemingly insurmountable opposition or odds. ..commit yourself fully….You may just be surprised by the results.”
The Winning Mind is a highly personal account which gives true insight into how success can be achieved. The daily challenges, hard graft, meticulous planning, small wins and frequent set-backs are all critical moments which take you closer to a winning position and your ultimate goal. There are no guarantees to success, but you are far more likely to achieve your aims if you start from a winning position.
The Winning Mind combines elements of inspirational leadership, self development and popular business that will help you nurture the qualities needed to realise your full potential.
