
Unlikely organisations have piggybacked the Olympics and Notting Hill CarnivalGain a boxer’s accelerated recovery The boxing coaches from Team GB boxing, based in Sheffield, focused on improving sleep quality. They replaced all their single beds with doubles, following research by the English Institute for Sport, along with switching sheets, duvets and pillows to breathable, quick drying fabrics. These small changes resulted in the boxers, on average, sleeping 24 minutes longer each night, which over the course of an Olympic cycle added up to as much as 29 or 30 days extra sleep. Vitally important when you’re repeatedly getting punched in the face. As for elite athletes, time is a precious resource for organisations too. One of the companies we worked with over the past year said the work we have done with them has fundamentally changed the way the business is run. What the firm?have told us is that this comes down to one word:?Intention. When I asked the CEO, ?what do you mean?? he said the extra time invested at the start of a meeting to set the intentions for the session ensured everyone attending felt included, involved and engaged in the outcomes. Framing their meetings in this way meant they were all clear and considerably more effective at achieving their intended outcomes together. He reckoned that on average they saved ten?minutes in every hour from being clear about their intentions.?Think about this for a moment. Each meeting has five to eight?people in it, multiplied by a ten?minutes saving per person, accumulated over the week, or month, or year?? how much of a time saving would your team or organisation make by being clear on your intentions? These little changes all contribute to the bigger picture. Focusing on the marginal gains philosophy enables you, your employees and your organisation to develop into a more powerful and efficient workforce. As we witnessed this summer, these small changes in an athlete?s behaviour amplified across multiple areas is a philosophy that is recognised as one of the key mechanisms that lead to Team GB?s success. Apply the marginal gains approach to the workplace, and your organisation could be in the running for gold as well! Ben Houghton?is?CEO?of?Noggin. Image: Shutterstock
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