ULSTER RUGBY’S MARK ANSCOMBE AND TOMMY BOWE SHARE THEIR STRATEGIES FOR MAXIMISING PERFORMANCE AT THINKTASC’S RUGBY FORUM.

Anscombe and Bowe formed part of a high profile panel of speakers from the world of sport and business.

The event was a resounding success for thinkTASC and was extremely well received by attendees who came from various business or sporting backgrounds. Anscombe and Bowe told an inspired audience how ‘Hard Work, Team Work and Motivation’ are crucial for ‘Maximising Performance’ of individuals and teams. Guests heard about the strategies deployed from both the coach and player perspectives.

Mark Anscombe said: “As a coach I expect complete discipline from my players. They must work hard as a team and they must show motivation and resilience as individuals. If something isn’t working then it is my role as coach to analyse why and then work with the players both collectively and individually to make them stronger and more competitive.

“These lessons are definitely something that managers in business should think about when they are building their teams within their particular organisations. I’d say constant coaching rather than managing is a given.”

Tommy Bowe went on to add “You can’t be complacent about your place in a team at this level in the sport. You have to show discipline and you make sacrifices to be the best you can. If something isn’t right then you spend the time getting it right.

“There is nowhere to hide. Your game is dissected all the time so that you can keep on top of the competition.

“You also need to be versatile as a player. You need to be able to step up to the mark in terms of what is expected on a national level and as an international player. Setbacks do happen. It’s how you deal with them that counts.

“I believe that the skills I’ve mastered in high performance rugby will be paramount in how I deal with future endeavors.”

Guests also heard insights from Ken Belshaw, Grafton Recruitment Co-Founder and Director, IRUPA Director; Tom Frawley CBE, Northern Ireland Ombudsman, VP of the International Ombudsman Institute and Bryn Cunningham, Member of Ulster’s 1999 European Cup team, Director of Corner Flag Sports Management.

Northern Ireland Ombudsman, Tom Frawley spoke at length about his own personal experiences of performance management in the public sector. He pointed out that the public sector is changing and that individuals need to be ‘motivated’ to adapt in order to succeed moving forward. Sitting still simply isn’t an option.

He also highlighted the fact that individuals need effective intelligent coaching and that they should be provided with the necessary skills and learning resources to propel them forward. He said that it was imperative for organisations to have a strong vision so that employees understand what they are striving for and what role they should be playing so that they can perform better.

thinkTASC Director, Paul Mackinnon (formerly High Performance Player Development Manager for New Zealand Rugby) spoke in detail to the audience about how high performance sporting practices can be used within the business arena and delivered a presentation about thinkTASC’s business consultancy services.

Following the presentation he said: “thinkTASC’s rugby forum has provided a brilliant opportunity for local business and sports people to find out how they can get on top of their game and learn strategies to drive them to success in the future and it’s been a fantastic opportunity for us to share our insights and knowledge with them.”