High performance i praksis: Hvad erhvervslivet kan lære af elitesport med Eskild Ebbesen

Hvad kan salg lære af elitesport? Eskild Ebbesen deler sine perspektiver på vindermentalitet, high performance og teams, der bliver ved med at løfte barren.

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“We don’t get better by setting a goal. We get better by changing what we do every day.”

What can sales teams learn from one of Denmark’s most successful Olympic athletes?

In this episode of Oplev Salg, Joachim speaks with Eskild Ebbesen, former elite rower, three-time Olympic gold medalist and part of the legendary Danish Guldfireren.

For Eskild, performance is not about constantly pushing harder. It is about finding more speed with the effort you already put in. In rowing, that means rhythm, balance and timing. In sales, it means reducing friction, improving collaboration and being more deliberate about where time and energy are spent.

Key takeaways

1. Goals do not create performance on their own

A team does not improve just because the target is raised.

As Eskild explains, we do not jump higher simply because the bar is raised. Improvement comes from changing the training, the technique and the daily actions behind the result.

The same applies in sales. Ambitious targets matter, but they only create progress when they are translated into concrete behaviours.

2. Focus 95% on the process

Eskild talks about a 95/5 approach:

5% focus on the result you want to achieve.

95% focus on the daily actions that make the result more likely.

For sales teams, this means spending less time repeating the target and more time asking what needs to happen every day to reach it.

What should we do more of? What should we stop doing?

3. More effort is not always the answer

High performance is not only about adding more hours, more pressure or more activity.

In rowing, a boat can use a lot of force and still lose speed if the rhythm and balance are wrong. Sometimes the team goes faster by reducing friction, not by pushing harder.

For other teams, the same logic applies. Better performance often comes from clearer priorities, better handovers, stronger feedback and fewer activities that drain energy without moving the team forward.

4. Make it easier for others to succeed

One of Eskild’s strongest points is that high performers should not only focus on their own output.

They should also work in a way that makes it easier for others to succeed.

In rowing, that means being easy to row with. In sales, it means sharing knowledge, communicating clearly, supporting the team rhythm and understanding how your own work affects the performance of others.

The best teams do not just have strong individuals. They have people who know how to create momentum together.

Core reflection

High performance is not about squeezing more out of people until they burn out.

It is about building a culture where people are curious, disciplined and willing to adjust.

Because the best teams do not just work hard.

They work in a way that makes the whole boat go faster.