Daily Lesson from Life 17 August 2008

"Aussie sells training secrets
Coach sold Schipper's training programme to Chinese girl who beat her at the Games. -Sun, Aug 17, 2008 AFP

BEIJING, CHINA - AN Australian swim coach has sparked a storm after admitting selling the training programme used by his protege Jessica Schipper for 'big money' to the Chinese girl who beat her at the Olympics.

Ken Wood sold his top-secret training methods, which transformed Schipper into a world-record breaking 200m butterflyer, to the Chinese coach of Liu Zige, according to News Ltd newspapers in Australia on Sunday.

Previously unknown, Liu came out of nowhere to win gold in the event here and shatter Schipper's world record by 1.22 seconds in the process, leaving the Australian a distant third.

'They pay for the programmes,' Wood was quoted as saying. 'They pay good money, big money. I wouldn't help them for nothing.'

Wood denied betraying Schipper, saying he hadn't trained her since Australia's Olympic trials in March."

It looks good on paper. That the secret-training method can transformed someone into Olympic Champion in a few months since Mr. Wood said he did not train Schipper since March!!

Is it proper for Mr. Wood to sell his secret-training method to the Chinese? Well it really depend on how his secret-training method was created and by who and if the Australia Swimming Association or Team has locked in as proprietary information with Mr. Wood. If there is explicit agreement to that effect, than Mr Wood has to answered for his 'betrayal' and actions.

Lessons for me are:

1. it is not that easy to transform a person's performance. The method is important. That's why we go to school and to training programs to pick up new skills and tools and methods to do things better, faster, and cheaper! BUT many more students went through the same program that showed ZERO effect than those that PRACTICE what they have learned and excel in them and produced remarkable improvement in behaviours and results! So, practice what you learned is the key!;

2. it will be great to learn how much hard work and discipline the Chinese swimmer put in after getting the 'secret-training method' that produces the result. Things are not what it seemed for some situations! We have to dig deeper to find the root cause(s);

3. it is easy to throw the word 'betrayal' around when someone left his or her ex-employers. It is important to demand a very high standard of proof whenever someone made such allegation. There must be negative consequences to the false accusers so that it will deter people from making baseless accusations!