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Will It Make the Boat Go Faster
- Publisher
- Ebury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 18 June 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 23 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Discover the simple principles that took a team from mediocrity to Olympic gold, and which you can use every day in work, life and play.
How do you go from ordinary to exceptional? This bestselling coaching classic will show you how.
Ben Hunt-Davis shares the inspiring story of how he and the British men’s rowing Eight went from never winning an international race to becoming the best in the world just two years later. Performance Coach Harriet Beveridge then highlights the wealth of transferable strategies we can use to pursue our own ‘gold medals’ for ourselves, our workplaces and beyond.
Ben’s firsthand account transports readers into the boat with him: the intensity of training, the emotional rollercoaster of setbacks, the thrill of success. Harriet distils the lessons from each gripping story into easy-to-implement strategies to apply to your everyday: from how to keep yourself motivated day-in-day out to how to bounce back from failure; from how to build resilient teams to cultivating a learning mindset.
This 15th anniversary edition of Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? Includes new examples of people from all walks of life applying these Olympic-winning strategies to their contexts to make their own boats go faster. Whether you’re a business leader wanting better results, an individual with a dream, or a coach guiding your team to unlocking their potential, this book is jammed-pack with tried and tested methods to help you achieve your own gold medals.
The book is a winning mix of gripping narrative and practical performance-raising tips.
© Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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Olympic gold medalist Ben Hunt-Davis and co-author Harriet Beveridge didn't win by working harder than everyone else — they won by asking one ruthlessly simple question about every decision: "Will it make the boat go faster?" That filter, applied consistently, is what separates people who achieve extraordinary results from those who stay perpetually busy. This book is a masterclass in focused execution.
Nir Eyal, New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Belief
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A compelling read; insightful and genuinely useful
Sir Chris Hoy
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Fantastic
Dame Kelly Holmes
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A compelling way to cut through noise and focus on what actually matters. It helps you notice what’s useful, drop what isn’t, and keep moving with more clarity and less wasted effort. A must-read for anyone who wants to spend less time second-guessing and more time doing what works.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments
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A fascinating and inspiring book
Sebastian Coe, KBE
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Captures the essence of what it takes to motivate to achieve extraordinary results
Sir Clive Woodward
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge
- Narrator
- Ben Hunt-Davis, Harriet Beveridge
- Duration
- 8 hours 23 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529987980
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Ebury Publishing
- Genre
- Advice on careers and achieving success, Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude, Sports psychology, Rowing and sculling
Synopsis
Discover the simple principles that took a team from mediocrity to Olympic gold, and which you can use every day in work, life and play.How do you go from ordinary to exceptional? This bestselling coaching classic will show you how.Ben Hunt-Davis shares the inspiring story of how he and the British men’s rowing Eight went from never winning an international race to becoming the best in the world just two years later. Performance Coach Harriet Beveridge then highlights the wealth of transferable strategies we can use to pursue our own ‘gold medals’ for ourselves, our workplaces and beyond.Ben’s firsthand account transports readers into the boat with him: the intensity of training, the emotional rollercoaster of setbacks, the thrill of success. Harriet distils the lessons from each gripping story into easy-to-implement strategies to apply to your everyday: from how to keep yourself motivated day-in-day out to how to bounce back from failure; from how to build resilient teams to cultivating a learning mindset.This 15th anniversary edition of Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? Includes new examples of people from all walks of life applying these Olympic-winning strategies to their contexts to make their own boats go faster. Whether you’re a business leader wanting better results, an individual with a dream, or a coach guiding your team to unlocking their potential, this book is jammed-pack with tried and tested methods to help you achieve your own gold medals.The book is a winning mix of gripping narrative and practical performance-raising tips.© Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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