Rasmus Ankersen – the man who decodes the code of high performers
In many organizations success comes down to the ability to identify talent and to make it flourish. But how? For six intense months Rasmus Ankersen traveled the world and literally trained and lived with the world’s best athletes and their coaches to answer questions like: How did one athletic club Jamaica, succeed to produce most of the world’s best sprinters? What is the secret behind Brazil’s mass production of soccer super stars? Why do the world’s best middel distance runners come from the same village in Ethiopia? In The Gold Mine Effect Rasmus Ankersen presents his surprising conclusions in seven lessons on how anyone – or any business, organization or team – can defy the many misconceptions of high performance and learn to build their own gold mine of real talent.
What is the secret behind Brazil’s mass production of soccer super stars? Rasmus Ankersen speaks to managers and leaders worldwide and asks simple questions that, in many times, had not really been answered: what is the definition of talent? How can you identify a talent and what should the environment to grow and flourish talent look like? What are the main characteristics that make the difference? In many cases, his audience gets this look of cluelessness on their faces. No worries, Rasmus Ankersen does not only raise questions but also brings along some answers. With his broad experience as ex-soccer-pro and expert for high performance cultures, he knows about the needed mindsets and habits of high performers, be it in sports or in a working environment. A most important and essential factor would for example be the will to win. It is needed in moments of failure when things don’t run well. In these situations it would become obvious if somebody would last or loose.
The parent factor
Rasmus Ankersen also talks about the parent factor. In a trainings camp in Russia, he has observed that the athletes all had very hungry and extremely supportive parents who pushed their children into the right direction from a very young age on. The habit of continuous practice and discipline became a pattern at a very early stage. It would be essential in order to become and remain successful. When we look at people who we see as talented, it often seems that they do not have to work particularly hard to succeed. They make everything look so easy. But the opposite is actually the case. By and large, the best performers are invariably those who train the most. Rasmus Ankersen admits that so far, he yet has to meet someone who did not earn their success through hard work and thousands of hours of training.
The 10.000 Hour Rule
In this context, he mentions the 10.000 hours rule which means nothing more than 2 hours and 44 minutes of practice every day – for 10 years. This rule, he believes, is one explanation for the secret behind Brazil’s mass production of soccer super stars. Not only would brazilian boys start to play soccer at a very young age but also would they play many hours a day. Furthermore, their environment pushes them to move all day: due to a lack of infrastructure it is normal for many Brazilians to walk many miles to get to school, not rarely including several vertical meters. What seems to be hard to many of us is just every day life to them. They are used to it and without even noticing it, it becomes a habit for life. Rasmus Ankersen is convinced that talent has nothing to do with genes but with practice and will to move on – no matter what gets into the way. The good news: if we are willing to work hard we can all reach out to our real talent. Sounds promising? Learn more about Rasmus Ankersen in one of his key notes and contact us for further information at: rasmus.ankersen@premium-speakers.com