‘Will it make the boat go faster?’ – that was the mantra which Olympian Harry Brightmore and his crewmates lived by in the run-up to Paris 2024.
The gold medallist and two-time world champion rowing coxswain shared his insights at the latest event held by Cardiff Business Club, explaining how the lessons he’s learned as part of a high-performance team are as relevant in business as they are in sport.
Harry, who works for Oxford University as a rowing coach for their men’s and women’s squads, said that habit stacking – where you focus on making sure that each key decision is going to develop rather than detract from your overall goal – was vitally important.
“If you wake up five minutes late, is that going to make the boat go faster? Probably not. Everyone’s going to have to wait for you,” he said. “Are you going to turn up to training five minutes early and stretch and make sure that you’re appropriately primed ready for that training session? Yes, that will make the boat go faster. So it’s these little decisions that can lead you along the way to optimum performance.”
Business News Wales spoke to Harry and to Cardiff Business Club secretary Paul Thorburn at the event, held at Sophia Gardens.
Harry also agreed to use the event as a platform to raise funds for Wales Air Ambulance, with the club hosting a raffle.
The next event for Cardiff Business Club will see an address from Kevin Gardiner, Managing Director of Rothschild & Co and Board Member of Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) as well as by Kellie Beirne, CCR CEO, who will provide an insight into CCR’s vision and aspirations for the region.
The event will be held on October 24th between 6pm and 9.30pm at The Classroom restaurant at Cardiff and Vale College’s City Centre Campus on Dumballs Road. Tickets are available at Cardiff Business Club Kevin Gardiner October Event
