Composite Excellence Method
Build your own practice by combining strengths from several proven performers
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
When Ferdinand entered Manchester United's changing room, he assessed what different established players did particularly well. He took recovery and preparation practices, including yoga, from Ryan Giggs; daily leadership and standard-setting from Roy Keane; and consistently high training levels from Paul Scholes. The method is selective: instead of attempting to become a replica of one person, identify the capabilities the role requires and find a strong example for each. Observe the behaviour producing the result, adapt that behaviour to your own circumstances, then combine the useful parts into a personal practice. Ferdinand argues that copying a whole person is likely to fail because the learner cannot be the original. A composite has a better chance of improvement because it draws distinct strengths from several sources while leaving room for the learner's own judgement and attributes.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO. Rio Ferdinand describes studying several Manchester United teammates and adding different parts of their preparation, leadership, and training standards to his own game.
Core principles
- 01No single role model contains every strength you need
- 02Specific behaviours are more transferable than whole identities
- 03Imitation should be selective rather than theatrical
- 04A useful composite must fit your own responsibilities and abilities
How to run it
- 1
Map the Capabilities
Break your role into the few capabilities that most affect performance. Describe each capability in behavioural terms.
Pro tip Use recent difficult situations to expose missing capabilities.
- 2
Find the Specialists
Identify people who repeatedly demonstrate one of those capabilities at a high level. A different person may be the best example for each area.
Pro tip Choose observed consistency over reputation alone.
- 3
Extract the Behaviour
Look beneath the visible result to the preparation, decision, or routine producing it. Select a practice specific enough to test.
Pro tip Ask what the person does before, during, and after the performance.
Watch out Do not infer a routine when you have only seen the outcome.
- 4
Adapt Rather Than Act
Modify the practice for your body, role, schedule, and personality. Preserve the useful mechanism without performing an imitation of the person.
Pro tip State what must remain the same and what can change.
- 5
Assemble the Composite
Combine a small number of compatible practices into your own preparation and performance routine. Test whether the combination improves the capability it was chosen to address.
Pro tip Add one practice at a time so its effect remains visible.
Watch out Too many borrowed practices at once can create a routine you cannot sustain.
In the wild
Ferdinand says he took recovery and preparation ideas from Ryan Giggs, leadership and daily demands from Roy Keane, and consistently high training levels from Paul Scholes. He combined parts of several players instead of attempting to become one of them.
→ He developed a broader personal approach to preparation and performance.
Illustrative example: a sales lead studies one colleague's call preparation, another's questioning, and a third's follow-up notes. She adapts one behaviour from each and tests them sequentially in her own workflow rather than copying anyone's entire style.
→ Her process gains several proven strengths while remaining natural to her.
Common mistakes
Copying a Whole Persona
Ferdinand says trying to be someone else fails because the learner cannot be the original person.
Copying Outcomes Instead of Practices
A reputation for excellence does not reveal the repeatable behaviour that produced it.
Borrowing Without Adaptation
A useful practice still needs to fit the learner's own role, abilities, and context.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people surrounded by strong practitioners who excel in different parts of the same role.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when copied practices conflict with safety, ethics, governing rules, or the learner's actual responsibilities.
From the transcript
“who's good at what and let me just take elements of these people”
“if you're taking bits from elsewhere you might be able to get beyond that”
“a group and taken from everywhere i've got a better chance”
From the episode
Rio Ferdinand Reveals The Training Ground & Dressing Room Secrets That Made United Unbeatable.