What to do in a storm, by Ms Motivator

HELPING OTHERS to mind their own business has become a popular and profitable pastime for the elite, and the mature, of British sport. The country pub, the Seniors' Tour, the newspaper column and the analyst seat across the desk from Des Lynam are now old hat as a means to cushioning retirement. The new name of the money game is motivation. All you need is a cv which trumpets your triumphs - and the gift of the gab.

Talking up sport as a means to boost the corporate image is a burgeoning profession. And it helps if you have a bit of the buccaneer about you. Tracy Edwards, one of the most celebrated adventuresses of the high seas, now runs a company specialising in coaxing big business into climbing mountains.

Reading-based Tracy Edwards Associates Motivation - or TEAM for short - comprises an illustrious task force of 16 whose differing talents can be tapped for tailor-made projects. They include the former Olympic champions Sebastian Coe and Mary Peters, the rower Matthew Pinsent, the ex-Scottish rugby captain Gavin Hastings, the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Rebecca Stevens, the first woman to climb Everest.

"We are somewhat different from the other motivators out there," said Edwards. "We approach things from different angles, concentrating on teaching management leadership and teamwork development skills through our own sporting experiences. We are a lot more hands on, with interactive seminars. We work along the lines that we have all succeeded in our particular sports, have all been at the top and know the qualities needed to get there. Our message is that we are ordinary people, and that ordinary people in all walks of life can achieve extraordinary things."

TEAM targets the financial sector and retail and communications industries. Next year her motivators will be moving into Europe in a big way. "Motivation may be the in thing at the moment but I've always felt we have been a long way behind America in this area," said Edwards. "In the past, people have read books about it but what people really want is to know about actual experience. If I was in the middle of a storm in the Southern Ocean the last thing I'd want is to read about theory. I'd much prefer someone had told me what to do.

"What business people want is to hear at first hand about the experiences of others, not some Professor Snodgrass droning on. Sport teaches you what to do when the you-know-what hits the fan. It's about coping with a crisis, and applying sporting principles is an effective way of getting the message across."

ALAN HUBBARD