Bo Hanson of Athlete Assessments

Posted November 16, 2017

Bo Hanson has three Olympic Medals representing Australia and now leads the Athlete Assessments business tutoring coaches in the techniques that build resilient athletes and “toughness”. His insights into the psychology tools that build great teams as well as personal experience from rowing are covered in detail during this RowingChat episode.

Team Culture and Identity in Sport is the article Bo references
Video Presentation by Bo Hanson, 4x Olympian and Coaching Consultant

Getting the culture right in your team and organization is crucial for success on any level. So how do you ensure that your culture gives your athletes the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential? In this 7-part video presentation, Bo Hanson discusses the importance of team culture, and how effectively utilizing the GRIP Model during your season can go a long way to ensuring your team’s culture starts on, and stays on, the right track.

Listen to RowingChat with Bo Hanson on SoundCloud

Timestamps to the interview

01:00 Introduction and background in rowing

02:00 Why is rowing different from other sports? Accountability and responsibility from the athletes.

05:00 What is athlete toughness? Strategies to develop these qualities. Most teams don’t set goals effectively.

08:00 The equation of Toughness W-I-S-E. Why, Identity, Strategies, Environment.

11:00 This generation’s experience is different from previous ones

14:00 How to communicate – creating engagement by coaching styles.

16:00 Situation – Behaviour – Result. The DISC Model for sport.

19:00 Work in Threes. Listening before you go out rowing.

21.00 Getting on the same page before an outing. GRUP Model. Goals, Role, Understand, Process/procedure.

27:00 Role switches as a learning experience.

29:00 Conflict in a rowing crew. Start with the point of commonality. Behavioural clash – what’s the best outcome for the crew? Diversity creates better results. Values Clash (philosophically) needs a hard conversation.

34:00 Bo’s own role in his Olympic crews

36:00 The 2000 Olympic final against Sir Steve Redgrave and Matt Pinsent in GBR 4-

41:00 How to approach setting up a new crew. Objectives and Expectations.

44:00 How to be an effective team. Productive relationships and how to adapt. There’s no individual in rowing. Be the best person for the boat rather than the best person in the boat.

47:00 Skills for working effectively. Differences are a positive. Harmony over honesty isn’t always good.

50:00 Race planning and preparation – what information can you reuse and at what part of the race as fatigue encroaches

52:00 Physical pain in rowing. Working around the stroke cycle – directed and productive focus.

56:00 Tim McLaren – inspired the work Bo does today. He builds phenomenal relationships, has an extraordinary ability to innovate and made it possible for Bo to aspire to a higher standard himself.