Focus Your Energy
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PAULA DUNN MBE Paralymplic Head Coach UK Athletics ELEVEN Focus your energy When we met British athlete Paula Olympic Games in Seoul, South Paralympic Head Coach at British Dunn at Trafford Athletic Club, she Korea. Her best year of competition Athletics a role that involves was amused to find she still held the came in 1994 when she won silver overseeing athlete and coach 100m and 200m female track records, at the European Cup and two bronze partnerships and ensuring they “I’m quite pleased about that— medals at the Commonwealth Games have all the resources they need something still remains of me then!” in Victoria, Canada. She retired in for them to succeed. She is fiercely 1996 but has remained in the athletics passionate and manages to juggle For Paula, this is where it all began. community for both work and pleasure. her commitments to work and family Her earliest memories are from through focusing her energy to ensure when she was just 10 years old, “I During her career, she also worked a healthy balance. “A job in sport is got selected by my primary school with Manchester City Council (MCC) never 9-5. However, I have a husband to compete for Manchester and an institution for which Paula remains and two sons, so I try to make sure the competition was right here at grateful, “They were probably one during my downtime that I’m with Trafford. We all came down here and of the first councils who actually them. I learned the phrase ‘when I competed for the school and a man supported me to enable me to race you’re in the room, be in the room’ so called Jim Harris (who later became and work while being paid a full I focus on them during those precious my coach for many years) said I was salary. They were really instrumental hours.” talented and asked me to train with in my career.” She became a Sports the club. 43 years later, I’m still here!” Development Officer for primary Her work on and off the track has athletics and netball, and it seems not only been recognised by those As with any job, there are ups and that no matter where Paula goes, she close to her but also the athletic downs, wins and losses and Paula’s leaves a legacy. “Some of those inter- community as a whole and as part athletic career is no different. “The school competitions I started around of the 2019 New Years Honours, she positives outweigh the negatives. On 20-30 years ago are still happening was awarded an MBE for Services to the one hand I had to put aside social today.” Athletics. events and partying with my friends, but on the other hand I competed for Her career as a professional athlete my country and was fortunate to win allowed her to empathise with young major medals. It never felt like I was talent and in her role at MCC she was sacrificing anything, I just felt I was able to support tomorrow’s medallists training to get better and reach my full and show them the pathway to athletic potential.” stardom. “I learned so much doing that job which has definitely helped Paula earned her first medals for me later on in my career. When I England in 1986 at the Edinburgh work with children, some want to be When you’re in Commonwealth Games in the 100m there and some don’t so it’s all about the room, be sprint and 4x100m relay along with engagement and motivation.” teammates Kathy Cooke, Joan in the room Baptiste and Heather Oakes. She After London 2012, Paula Dunn then went on to compete at the 1988 was the first woman to be appointed Paula Dunn MBE 121 Focus on moving forward The increased focus on sport in given year, they won’t come because recent times has brought about there are people behind those extra much-needed funding for the medals–a team.” sport industry as a whole through initiatives like the National Lottery. Paula is described as professional, Paula casts her mind back to when passionate and purposeful but when she began her athletic career, “there asked which of these she resonates was no real system and the onus most with she chooses passion. was on the athlete to find their own “Because I’m passionate, it makes coach, physio or doctor. The only me want to make sure I’m doing really thing that has remained constant is well and staying really focused. I want the intensity of training.” to make sure I make everything as perfect as possible for the coach and As Paralympic Head Coach at British athlete pair. When you love your job, Athletics, Paula is responsible for 48 it’s easy to be passionate about it.” athlete-coach pairs but contrary to the job title, there is very little coaching With such a long career, Paula has a involved. “My role is to support the long list of people who have inspired coach and the athlete. For example, and continue to inspire her. “My first if they need increased nutritional PE teacher, Mike Healy, took me down advice, I find a suitable nutritionist to to the track, which then led to Peter offer their expertise so that the athlete Jackson, my first coach. And then all can reach their potential.” the athletes I trained alongside like Sandra Douglas, Julie Asgill – so many! Paula’s role at British Athletics while When you’re really, really tired, these varied is incredibly focused on what people encouraged me to carry on she can directly influence. “We have and keep moving forward. It’s tough targets, KPIs and championships, but you have to keep moving.” but it all boils down to the coach and athlete pair which is where I come in. If I keep them central to everything I do, the medals will follow. If it’s the other way around and I focus on an arbitrary number of medals in any You have to fail. The reality is, everybody fails but it’s how you come back from disappointment and failure that defines When you love your you as an athlete and job, it’s easy to be a person passionate about it Paula Dunn MBE Paula Dunn MBE 122 PAULA DUNN / FOCUS YOUR ENERGY 123 Focus on what you can influence Paula’s favourite track position was people’s weaknesses, the problems always lane four. She realised that and circumstances over which they everything outside this lane was have no control. This focus results outside her control and influence. By in blame and accusation, reactive using this analogy, she developed an language, and increased feelings of attitude that focused her energy in victimisation. The negative energy one direction. generated by that focus, causes their influence to shrink. Proactive people focus their efforts on what they can influence. They work Having met Paula and talked through on the things they can do something these not-so-obvious issues, we can about. The nature of their energy is definitely vouch she has the proactive positive, enlarging and magnifying, mindset! causing their levels of influence to My motto increase. These are the people we all It’s interesting to see how this focus on is to talk to want to be and enjoy being around. what you can influence is a recurring each other, theme with all our twelve scholars. not about Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their efforts on concerns they each other cannot influence. They focus on Paula Dunn MBE Focus on better communication This network of people in which to analyse themselves and ask, ‘what Paula has surrounded herself have do I need to do technically? What do I been both a support and an inspira- need to support myself?’ Instinctively, tion. “As a leader, you’re expected athletes won’t do what they know is to inspire others from both within right—they do the things they like. the organisation and outside. My A coach or manager identifies these personal method of doing this is right things they need to do.” leading by example.” Communicating with athletes (and Paula explains that a crucial part of coaches) is the backbone of Paula’s her role is emphasising the values by role as Head Coach. “I always try which she works, “my motto is to talk to make athletes feel like they’re to each other, not about each other.” respected and supported whether This pillar of working culture, she they’re in their peak fitness or disap- feels, creates the right environment pointed with a recent competition.” for the highs and lows that come Further backing this up is Paula’s with sports. “It’s a tough world. I lost extensive experience in this area. She championships where I thought I was forced to withdraw from the 1996 failed and it’s only hindsight that tells Olympics in Atlanta due to illness and you that you haven’t.” can recall countless defeats over the years where she’s had to refocus and The role of a coach to an athlete start again. is one of discipline, respect and communication. Paula recalls her “You have to fail. The reality is, experiences without a coach and the everybody fails but it’s how you come differences she sees in athletes today, back from disappointment and failure to share the load both mentally and that defines you as an athlete and a physically.