HIS STORY Sir Dave Brailsford, 51, general manager of Team Sky
I first met Steve when one of his students took a job with British Cycling in 2001. The student recommended Steve to help a cyclist with a mental health issue and he turned him round remarkably quickly.
I was immediately impressed by Steve’s approach. He’s very strict, not fluffy; he challenges you strongly, tells it like it is. I had to work very hard to persuade him to come out of NHS practice and university, but he did.
He has this knack of making people respond positively. He is fair and pragmatic, and by helping you look in the mirror he provides insight into people’s psychology, helping them optimise their behaviour and performance.
I was in my late 30s then, and bullish. Steve made me stop in my tracks and analyse my own behaviour. Even though we’re very different people, his ideas chimed with me. His notion of empowerment and ownership balanced with accountability, responsibility, commitment, hunger and conflict resolution struck a strong chord, and the neutral sounding board he provided was fundamental in the success we have enjoyed.
Steve’s a kind, warm person. He’s witty and good company and he has this neutrality that means he’s brilliant to disagree with because he doesn’t get annoyed. So you’re free to put all your cards on the table and look at things from a different angle. When we’re approaching a big event like the Tour de France, the dynamic intensifies. I’ll lead, but we’ll collectively ponder: “Is the mood right? Is the culture right? Is the mindset right? Are there any unresolved issues?” then it’s into battle and executing the ideas.
Steve has been a great educator in my career and my life. We’ve been through several Olympic Games, some big moments. We’ve learned together and he’s just as open to learning as I am. That’s been the fun part of it.
Follow Team Sky on Twitter at the Tour de France, 4-26 July, @TeamSky
HIS STORY Professor Steve Peters, 62, consultant psychiatrist
Since I came on board with Dave our relationship has built up gradually and the thing we’ve shared – in addition to getting the best out of elite athletes including Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins – is that we’re both mavericks in the sense of thinking outside the box and being willing to take risks.
Dave is the type of person who, when he comes to a river, doesn’t dip his toe in and measure the temperature. He makes a calculated risk, jumps, and if it is deep he just starts swimming. I told him early on that he needed to surround himself with like-minded people because that would bring out the best in him, whereas if he surrounded himself with people who keep measuring the temperature of the water and dipping their toes in he was going to get frustrated.
When we have brainstorming sessions approaching an event, like the Tour De France, the focus and fine-tuning ramp up significantly. Dave will always ask: “Am I missing something?” I like to optimise performance and to know that whoever I’m working with will get the best out of themselves. Dave has a similar outlook.
Dave’s insightful, driven and intolerant of second best. He just won’t accept it and he gets frustrated with complacency, which I do too. If that happens he’ll step on whatever the difficulty is to put it right; he won’t sit back on his laurels. Dave is constantly searching for what he calls “marginal gains” – the small percentages that add up to a big difference. Coupled with his energy and organisation, this is what gives him that X factor.
Outside the velodrome we are different people socially. Dave enjoys keeping fit and he leads a more solitary life whereas I’m a people person who has lots of friends around. Dave is more of an individual. His accolades and achievements haven’t changed his character. That shared desire to optimise potential still unites us.
Steve Peters’s The Chimp Paradox is published by Vermilion. To order a copy for £10.39, go to bookshop.theguardian.com
