Matthew Syed
Writer, Broadcaster, Bestselling Author and Former International Table Tennis Champion
Matthew is a columnist for The Times and the author of two acclaimed books – Bounce and Black Box Thinking. He is one of the world’s most influential thinkers on the science of high performance offering the latest thinking on growth mindset, and the critical role of marginal gains.
Speaker enquiryMatthew Syed is a British journalist, broadcaster and highly acclaimed speaker in the field of high performance.
He has written five bestselling books on the subject of mindset and high performance – Bounce, Black Box Thinking, The Greatest, and his celebrated children’s books, You Are Awesome and The You Are Awesome Journal – and has worked with many leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement.
He is also a multi-award-winning journalist for The Times and a regular contributor to television and radio. In his previous career, Matthew was the England table tennis number one for almost a decade.
In his bold and inspiring new book (September 2019) – Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking – Matthew argues that individual intelligence is no longer enough to solve today’s complex problems; to truly succeed we must harness the power of ‘cognitive diversity’. Rebel Ideas uncovers the best-kept secrets of the world’s most successful teams, bringing insights from psychology, anthropology and data science, whilst drawing on a dazzling range of intriguing case-studies.
Matthew’s work explores a thought-provoking approach to high performance in the context of a complex and fast-changing world. By understanding the intimate connection between mindset and high performance, organisations can unlock untapped potential in individuals and teams, driving innovation and agility to secure a future-proofed environment. A TEDx video of Matthew speaking about growth mindset can be viewed on YouTube.
Matthew is also co-founder of Matthew Syed Consulting (MSC); the company has worked with an impressive portfolio of clients to build growth mindset cultures and drive higher performance in individuals, teams and organisations. Matthew Syed Consulting’s cutting-edge thought leadership programme and digital learning tools are becoming a catalyst for real and lasting change within business and the public sector.
Matthew also works very closely with the education sector to help improve mindsets in schools and young people. He is an active founding member of the charity Greenhouse Sports and an ambassador for the PiXL Educational Foundation.
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Collaboration
Decision Making
Entrepreneurialism
Innovation/Creativity
Leadership
Mindset
Performance
Performing under pressure
Psychology
Reinvention
Resilience
Risk
Teamwork
Winning
“The best speech of its kind I have ever heard. It inspired, entertained and informed in equal measure.”
David Richardson, the Atlantic Group
“An outstanding speech that challenged the perspective of coaches and players alike. Our young players have been talking about it ever since.”
Steve Bould, Arsenal FC
“Matthew Syed is an extremely inspirational speaker. We all strive to be the best and Matthew succinctly encapsulated this ethos during his presentation to Vodafone’s Global Heads of Marketing. Our audience departed feeling highly motivated.”
Maria Bellanca, Head of Group Sponsorship PR, Vodafone
Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking
In this bold and inspiring new book, Matthew Syed offers a radical new approach to success and a route map to how we can tackle our most complex challenges, such as obesity, terrorism and climate change. Rebel Ideas draws upon cutting-edge research in psychology, economics and anthropology, and takes lessons from a dazzling range of case studies. It is a book that will strengthen any institution or team, but also offers dozens of individual applications too: the art of personal reinvention, the extraordinary benefits of personalised nutrition and how to break free of the echo chambers that surround us all.
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Black Box Thinking: Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance
Black Box Thinking is a new approach to high performance, a means of finding an edge in a complex and fast-changing world. It is not just about sport, but has powerful implications for business and politics, as well as for parents and students. In other words, all of us. Drawing on a dizzying array of case studies and real-world examples, together with cutting-edge research on marginal gains, creativity and grit, Matthew Syed tells the inside story of how success really happens - and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.
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The Greatest: What Sport Teaches Us About Achieving Success
How do we become the best that we can be, as individuals, teams and as organisations? Sport, with its innate sense of drama, its competitive edge, its psychological pressures, its sense of morality and its illusive quest for perfection, provides the answers.
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Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice
Two-time Olympian and sports writer and broadcaster Matthew Syed draws on the latest in neuroscience and psychology to uncover the secrets of our top athletes and introduces us to an extraordinary cast of characters, including the East German athlete who became a man, and her husband – and the three Hungarian sisters who are all chess grandmasters. Bounce is crammed with fascinating stories and statistics. Looking at controversial questions such as whether talent is more important than practice, drugs in sport (and life)...
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You Are Awesome: Find Your Confidence and Dare to be Brilliant at (Almost) Anything
I'm no good at sport ... I can't do maths ... I really struggle with exams ... Sound familiar? If you believe you can't do something, the chances are you won't try. But what if you really could get better at maths, or sport or exams? In fact, what if you could excel at anything you put your mind to? You Are Awesome can help you do just that, inspiring and empowering young readers to find the confidence to realise their potential. The first children's book from Times journalist, two-time Olympian and best-selling mindset...
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