Microexcellence

Question 1

applied a theory of marginal gains to cycling

Answer 1

aplicou uma teoria do ganho marginal ao ciclismo

Question 2

he gambled
Sir Dave, a former professional cycler who holds an MBA, applied a theory of marginal gains to cycling — he gambled that if the team broke down everything they could think of that goes into competing on a bike, and then improved each element by 1%, they would achieve a significant aggregated increase in performance.

Answer 2

ele apostou

Question 3

Daunting

It was too daunting. Aiming for gold was too daunting.

Answer 3

assustador

Question 4

It struck me
As an MBA, I had become fascinated with Kaizen and other process-improvement techniques. It struck me that we should think small, not big, and adopt a philosophy of continuous improvement through the aggregation of marginal gains.

Answer 4

Isso me surpreendeu

Question 5

compound the improvements

Forget about perfection; focus on progression, and compound the improvements.

Answer 5

compor as melhorias

Question 6

mattresses

We brought our own mattresses and pillows so our athletes could sleep in the same posture every night.

Answer 6

colchões

Question 7

a bridgeable gap

And if it was a bridgeable gap we put a plan in place.

Answer 7

uma lacuna superável

Question 8

we had to be pretty ruthless

But if it was not a bridgeable gap we had to be pretty ruthless — compassionate, but ruthless.

Answer 8

nós tínhamos de ser muito implacáveis

Question 9

and so on

What should their diet be, and so on.

Answer 9

e assim por diante

Question 10

the bells and whistles
We tried so hard with all the bells and whistles of marginal gains that our focus was too much on the periphery and not on the core. You have to identify the critical success factors and ensure they are in place, and then focus your improvements around them.

Answer 10

os sinos e os assobios

Question 11

harsh

Answer 11

Essa foi uma lição dura

Question 12

inherently rewarding

There’s something inherently rewarding about identifying marginal gains — the bonhomie is similar to a scavenger hunt.

Answer 12

inerentemente gratificante

Question 13

bonhomie

The bonhomie is similar to a scavenger hunt.

Answer 13

cordialidade

Question 14

a scavenger hunt

The bonhomie is similar to a scavenger hunt.

Answer 14

uma caça ao tesouro

Question 15

Caveat
One caveat is that the whole marginal gains approach doesn’t work if only half the team buy in. In that case, the search for small improvements will cause resentment.

Answer 15

ressalva

Question 16

very much clued

I think the British government is already very much clued in to novel management approaches. […]

Answer 16

muito informado

Question 17

an edge

when people compete, they will always look for an edge. And I think it’s naïve to hope that people will self-regulate.

Answer 17

uma vantagem

Question 18

naïve

And I think it’s naïve to hope that people will self-regulate.

Answer 18

ingênuo

Question 19

to blunting
it goes a long way to blunting their desire to find an illicit edge. People want to win. But they would prefer to win fair and square than win at all costs.

Answer 19

embotar

Question 20

fair and square

People want to win. But they would prefer to win fair and square than win at all costs.

Answer 20

de forma justa

Question 21

the blueprint
The Exceptionals is their story, and it provides you with the blueprint to advance from good to great to outstanding to elite.

Answer 21

o plano

Question 22

outstanding
The Exceptionals is their story, and it provides you with the blueprint to advance from good to great to outstanding to elite.

Answer 22

ilustre

Question 23

household names
They have scaled the top of the pyramid and have reached seemingly unreachable heights. They may be athletes or entertainers who are household names

Answer 23

nomes familiares

Question 24

Brailsford’s ‘1% Factor’

Brailsford’s ‘1% Factor’ was also discussed in business circles in the UK and internationally.

Answer 24

Fator 1% de Brailsford

Question 25

the ultimate pinnacle
Even if you are at the ultimate pinnacle of your profession, and have achieved a level the world has never seen and that no one is ever likely to match, you may not believe you have achieved excellence.

Answer 25

the peak, the top, the apogee

Question 26

grass courts
[…] And within that, his performance on grass courts, where he had not lost a single match in three years, was especially outstanding.

Answer 26

quadras de grama

Question 27

GOAT

Or take the other GOAT (greatest of all time) for example.

Answer 27

greatest of all time

Question 28

you have accomplished

Excellence is not measured by what you have accomplished, but on how well you have used your talents.

Answer 28

você realizou

Question 29

to excel
You can’t be the best in your field if you only try to excel at peak moments. Peak performances are simply the outcome of achieving sustained excellence.

Answer 29

se destacar

Question 30

the craft
The best in the world are able to do this by differentiating between the craft (skills they learn) and the art (how they perform).

Answer 30

o ofício

Question 31

relentlessly

They relentlessly work on getting better at the craft until it becomes ingrained into their minds and bodies.

Answer 31

incansavelmente

Question 32

ingrained

They relentlessly work on getting better at the craft until it becomes ingrained into their minds and bodies.

Answer 32

enraizado

Question 33

mindless ease
[…] when they need to be at their peak, they forget about the craft and perform with mindless ease so that the art flows through, whether it be in the form of beautiful music, or a flawless performance on the field or through a life-saving surgery or through a well-received and clear presentation.

Answer 33

estúpida facilidade

Question 34

flawless performance
[…] when they need to be at their peak, they forget about the craft and perform with mindless ease so that the art flows through, whether it be in the form of beautiful music, or a flawless performance on the field or through a life-saving surgery or through a well-received and clear presentation.

Answer 34

performance impecável