Mindset: Switching Performance

When people think about offshore racing, they often imagine storms, huge waves and physical endurance. But for Ollie, one of the biggest challenges isn't always on the water. Sometimes, it's in his own head.

As skipper of Embrace The Challenge, Ollie has a unique role. He's not just responsible for sailing one of the world's most advanced racing yachts; he's also leading the commercial campaign that makes it all possible.

"A lot of people only see me as the sailor," Ollie explains, "but in fact we spend a lot of time on the business side of such a project."

Finding partners, defining the campaign's identity, developing strategy and securing funding all demand a very different mindset from racing an IMOCA at full speed across the ocean.

"The commercial side is all about finding your identity, positioning the campaign right, creating a budget and actively engaging in partnership development."

Then, almost overnight, everything changes.

"With the boat in the water... it's time to go sailing."

For Ollie, that means making a deliberate shift between two completely different ways of thinking.

"When I'm engaged on the commercial side, it's very strategic. It's quite visionary work. It's also emotional because, at the end, you want to find sponsors and partners. You do get rejected quite often, so it's quite a stressful environment."

Once the dock lines are released, those thoughts have to disappear.

"When we're out there, we're calibrating sensors, testing systems and trying to optimise our performance. Everything is analytical. It's numbers-based, it's physical and, in a certain way, risky. I cannot have my mind being occupied with the commercial side of the campaign when I'm actually on the boat."

So how does Ollie make that transition?

His answer isn't complicated. It's about creating mental space before switching tasks.

"The most important thing is that I don't have any open thoughts or open leads in my head when I step onto the boat."

That means handing over complete areas of responsibility to trusted members of the team and creating a clear plan for anything that remains on his desk.

"I make absolutely sure that I know when I will pick a task up again and how I will pick it up, if needed. As an example, I would never read my emails just before I go sailing, but only back onshore when the debrief has happened."

It's a small habit, but one that allows his attention to remain exactly where it needs to be.

For most of us, the challenge isn't sailing an IMOCA. It might be leaving work behind before spending time with family. It might be focusing on an important presentation instead of tomorrow's to-do list. Or simply giving one task our full attention before jumping to the next.

Mental performance isn't about doing more. It's about being fully present in whatever challenge is in front of you.

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