Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? (And Why It Should Be a Board Agenda Item)

I’ve been re-reading a cracking book lately. It’s called “Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?” by Ben Hunt-Davis, a rower who helped the British men’s eight go from no-hope finalists to Olympic gold in Sydney 2000. 

The big idea? Every decision the team made, every session, every tactic, every meal, every chat… was filtered through one brutally simple lens: 

“Will it make the boat go faster?” 

If the answer was no, they didn’t do it. No excuses. No committee waffle. Just clarity, alignment, and ruthless execution. 

And I keep thinking: how many brokers, MGAs, and insurers need this mantra taped to the boardroom wall? 

Governance That Floats 

I’ve sat in more governance meetings than I care to admit. Risk, compliance, strategy, distribution, ops. Big agendas, lots of paper, not enough action. 

And here’s the brutal truth: 

Half of what we talk about won’t make the boat go faster and some of it might be punching holes in the hull. 

We chase “best practice” instead of what works. We copy what others are doing because it looks clever. We develop 18-month strategies that nobody reads after month two. 

Instead, imagine asking: 

• Will this product review actually improve customer outcomes or just tick a Consumer Duty box? 

• Will this insurer panel refresh increase margin or just burn relationships? 

• Will this claims initiative reduce friction or just sound good in a slide deck? 

If not, don’t do it. Redirect the energy somewhere better. 

Brokers, Underwriters, and Capacity Headaches 

Let’s bring this closer to home. 

Plenty of brokers talk about capacity like it’s just “available or not.” But does your current panel setup actually drive performance? Or are you protecting relationships that no longer add value? 

Same for underwriters: you’ve got brokers who love you when you’re cheap and ghost you when you’re not. Will writing that scheme renewal with them actually grow your book or just meet a target? 

This is where Who2 comes in. Not to sell big strategy pieces. But to help you get sharp, focused, and commercially ruthless the way a medal-winning team has to be. 

We’re not here to write you another policy pack. We’re here to ask: Does it make your boat go faster? If not, we’ll help you fix it. 

Try This at Your Next Board Session 

Before you approve the next initiative, report, system, or committee: 

Ask out loud: “Will this make our boat go faster?” 

It cuts through jargon. It slices past silos. It exposes fluff. 

And if the answer’s “not really” - you’ve just saved a lot of time and budget. 

Want to Move Faster? 

We work with broker leadership teams, insurer execs, and capacity providers to strip away the noise and unlock operational focus. Compliance, Consumer Duty, governance, we make them commercial, not box-ticking. 

Drop me a note if you fancy a session that actually shifts something.

 Chris @ Who2 Global 

The views expressed in this article are those of WHO2 Global Ltd and do not constitute professional advice. All content is for informational purposes only.