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Liquid Thinking
D
amian Hughes is a best-selling
author, sports psychologist and
“change consultant”. His concept of
“liquid thinking” has inspired business
leaders and elite sports teams and he
was a keynote speaker at Change the
Game in 2017.
To formulate his ideas, Hughes has
distilled the thinking and methods of
top achievers in sport, business and
other fields, and shown how these
can be applied by anyone to achieve
their goals.
His advice is down to earth and avoids
the trite buzzwords often used by
other self-improvement gurus and
psychologists. Its basic tenet is that
we’re all capable of achieving more
than we think.
So what exactly is liquid thinking? The
concept bears a resemblance to
psychologist Edward de Bono’s idea of
“thinking outside the box” or lateral
thinking, he explains.
“It’s the opposite of limited, static
thinking; it’s the ability to see things
from different perspectives and then
translate the insights gained into
actions and behaviours.”
Hughes’ CV is eclectic. As well as
working as a sports psychologist,
notably with Warrington Wolves and
the England and Great Britain rugby
league squads, he has spent a number
of years in HR in the corporate world.
But sports coaching is in his blood. His
father is the legendary Manchester
boxing coach Brian Hughes, who
produced a number of title-holders
and was awarded an MBE for his
services to the sport.
As a schoolboy footballer, Hughes
played for England but he knew he
wasn’t destined for the top level of
the game.
His passion for coaching led him to
gain his FA badges at a young age and
he ended up working at the Bobby
Charlton Academy, which was then
taken over by Manchester United.
As a coach to juniors, his contact with
Sir Alex Ferguson was minimal but he
says: “Just being in that environment
was fascinating, and I got to experience
the culture first hand. I learned the
importance of making it fun, and that
had a big i