What will make your ‘boat’ go faster? Finding purpose and clarity using the Stephen’s question

Every so often, a question or tip I’ve come across from other coaches sticks in my mind. This is one of them.

When talking about being clear about your goals and purpose, Dr Rachel Morris who hosts the Resilient Team Academy and hosts the ‘you are not a frog’ podcast asks us to consider...

‘What is your Stephen’s question’?

Roger Stephens was the training coach for the University of Cambridge rowing team. He had one aim; to beat the University of Oxford in the annual boat race. Note that he was not aiming for them to be the best rowing club in the country. He was not aiming to win various ‘head of the river’ races. His sole purpose was to beat the Oxford boat every year.

This clarity of purpose was used as a decision making aide for everything they did. Before each suggested change in training approach they would ask themselves the same question...

‘Will this make our boat go faster’?

For example, before buying a piece of equipment, deciding on a change in crew, trying a different training technique they asked themselves the question ‘will this make the boat go faster’. If they thought the answer was probably yes, they would make the change. If they thought the answer was no, they would not make the change. In this way, they stripped out distractions and focused on what was important.

At one Olympics, the Great Britain rowing 8 also adopted this strategy to the extent that the team did not attend the Olympic opening ceremony as it would not ‘make their boat go faster!’

This a great (if purist) example of being crystal clear on purpose and making sure everything that happens moves them further toward that goal. We don’t all need to take it to these extermes. However, since learning about the Stephens question I have used this to help me stay on track as I continue to develop my business and my life!

A work example for me is achieving the next level of coaching accreditation with the International Coaching Federation which involves fitting in further study and assessments around an already busy diary and life. This means I have to be super focused on prioritising to ensure I am making the best use of the time I have. So when new and exciting projects come my way, at the moment I have to ask myself: ‘will this help me achieve my next coaching accreditation’? If the answer is yes, I include this in my plan. If the answer is probably no,  I put the idea on hold for a few months. I owe this to myself, my goals and my current clients to ensure I am giving my best to all without burning out!

A non work of when this clarity of goal is important has emerged when I have been training for long distance running races (although the distance has become shorter as I advance in years!). Sometimes I have aimed for a particular time. Other times I have just been planning to enjoy the race and finish uninjured. Whatever the goal, I’ve been clear on what it is as then I will know exactly what I need to do to get there. I can base any decisions about food, distances and intensity of training or socialising around my goal. If something is important to me, I want to give it my best shot.

So, the Stephens question not only helps me become clear about my goal, it helps me work out the best way to reach it.

The magic of considering the Stephen’s question often lies in the conversation rather than the answer because we often need some time to work out what our boat actually is and to remember that our goals evolve over time.

What could your Stephen’s question be?

If you want a thinking partner to help you work out what your meaningful goal is and how to get there, contact me for a free discovery call on flamingoplm2022@gmail.com