What does it take to perform at your best when the world is watching?
Olympic sailor Saskia Clark MBE believes it’s less about talent and more about learning how to stay deliberate, calm and clear when it counts. After 16 years in the British Olympic programme, including a gold medal in Rio 2016, she’s learned that consistency comes from reflection, not perfection.
In conversation with Karen Falcon, Chief of Staff at Tenzing, Saskia shares what a life in high-performance sport taught her about focus, teamwork and staying in control of your own story.
1. Life in four-year blocks
Saskia describes the Olympic world as living in four-year chapters, each with a clear beginning and end. “You live in blocks with very definite end points – you know exactly when you have to deliver.”
That structure can be both grounding and demanding. Every few weeks, international regattas bring honest feedback – results you can’t argue with.
“The reward comes when you start doing it well – when feedback becomes fuel.”
For leaders: Build regular check-ins that encourage reflection, not just review.
2. Controlling the narrative
When things go wrong, Saskia says, you need people who will hold up the mirror. “You probably know deep down when you’re in a rut, but to the outside world you still have to look like you’ve got it together.”
Her biggest lesson was about timing. “If you face questions early, you stay in control. If you avoid them, the reckoning comes later – and by then, the pen’s no longer in your hand.”
During the build-up to London 2012, Saskia and her teammate had only 18 months to prepare. “We couldn’t turn over every rock. So we chose which ones mattered most. That gave us clarity and reduced stress.”
For leaders: Know which rocks to turn, and which to leave for later. Choice creates calm.
3. From goal-setting to vision
After her first Olympic campaign didn’t go to plan, Saskia realised that talent wasn’t enough. “We were two young athletes thinking talent would carry us. It doesn’t.”
For London, she and her teammate developed something new – a living “vision” document that evolved as they learned more about competitors and venues. “It wasn’t a static goal,” she says. “It was a framework that helped us stay focused and adjust as we learned.”
They organised their preparation around four pillars – technical, psychological, physical and tactical – and made sure each day touched at least one.
For leaders: Keep your goals alive. The plan should adapt as you learn, not gather dust.
4. Teamwork under pressure
In a two-person boat, alignment isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s everything. Saskia and her teammate created deliberate “modes of operating” for different conditions.
“In steady winds, patience mattered. In frantic winds, we had to react fast. If we hadn’t agreed what that looked like, stress would have got the better of us.”
Over time, they developed what Saskia calls “set plays” – routines that helped them stay consistent. Once those were automatic, they had the headspace to spot opportunities and take smart risks.
For leaders: Routines create room for creativity. Clarity helps when pressure builds.
5. Emotional control and learning
Saskia says her biggest challenge was managing her own internal voice. “I’d dwell on mistakes mid-race – and lose seconds doing it. Those were seconds I wasn’t using to make good decisions.”
For her, emotional control didn’t mean suppressing feelings – it meant staying steady enough to make clear, fact-based choices. “You have to fail constantly to learn,” she says. “But you can’t keep failing the same way.”
For leaders: Notice your reactions. Clarity under stress starts with awareness.
Closing thoughts
Saskia’s approach to performance is grounded, practical and human. Pressure, she says, doesn’t just test people – it reveals patterns.
“Talent is only the starting point, what matters is what you build on top of it – awareness, discipline and people who help you see yourself clearly.”
Her story is a reminder that reflection isn’t a luxury in high performance – it’s the habit that keeps you moving forward.
