500 Words a Week - Chopping Onions & High Performance

The following analogy and video was discussed by Angus Bradley during his mentorship programme.

In the video, Marco Pierre White chops an onion the way they teach you at culinary school. To the untrained eye, it looks like a relatively well chopped onion. He then chops an onion the way he and those in his restaurants do it. We immediately see a huge difference between both the onions. We can see the level of detail Marco puts into such a small aspect as chopping an onion. We understand that if every step in a recipe has this level of detail behind it, the end product is an amazing dish.

Looking at high performance, we can apply the philosophy Marco puts in place by ensuring we pay attention to the smaller details. Angus made the point that there is value in doing the little things well. Especially when they start to stack up on each other. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that they are small details. Similar to Marco, we must still keep the big picture in mind. The onion is chopped the way it is to have the most impact in creating a wonderful dish. The wonderful dish is the big picture. Regardless of what the big picture is, it must be kept in mind throughout the process.

I think this could also be applied to outside high performance as well. We take for granted the impact of the small interactions that occur every day. For instance, greeting or saying goodbye to those close to us we see on regular occasions. Although these interactions seem small, due to the frequency by which they occur, they can add up to a surprising amount of time in the long run. So why not make this process more enjoyable, or place some meaning behind the usual “Hi, how are you?”.

I think we should place a high level of value on these interactions, especially within S&C. The small daily check-ins and debriefs give you a wonderful idea for how everyone within your squad is doing. The more frequently you do them, the more attuned to how your squad is feeling you become. You notice when there is a hesitation where there usually isn’t one, and it allows you to delve into a deeper conversation with your athlete.

Value the small interactions, and value the small details whilst keep the big picture in mind.

“Perfection is lots of little things done well” – Marco Pierre White