You have to be of a certain age to remember Jonathan Edwards, the Olympic triple-jump champion, but if you do, you’ll recall an incredible athlete.
I once heard his motivational coach talk at an event, and he told a remarkable story.
He spoke about the 1997 World Championships in Athens. Edwards had won gold in 1995, and was odds on to collect another in 1997. However, to everybody’s surprise, he fell short, and won the silver. I remember it well.
According to his motivational coach, nobody on the Edwards team could understand what had gone wrong. His preparation had been perfect, and right up to the Championships he had been jumping gold-medal winning distances. On the day, it just didn’t happen. They analysed every aspect of Edward’s preparation and performance, but nothing seemed to explain it.
Then, one day, Edwards had an idea. He had changed his shoe sponsor just before the championships. He picked up an old running shoe and a new one, and measured them end to end. Although they were the same shoe size, his new shoes were actually about a centimetre longer.
Jonathan Edwards measured his run-up for each jump as thirty shoe-length paces, end to end. By the time he had measured that out with his new shoes, he was 30cm out.
The implication was clear. Very small changes, amplified, make a big difference.
When we at OneGilliland Business work with you, we might identify what seem like small changes. Accumulated, that might make all the difference.
