 Good afternoon, the first item of business. This afternoon is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is Father Roger Dawson, superior of the Jesuits in Scotland. Presiding Officer, thank you for inviting me to address the Scottish Parliament. In this year's Oxford and Cambridge boat race, the Cambridge Women's Crew had a surprise win. More surprising, though, was the way that the coach created a culture of high performance in the crew. Most of us think that high performance environments are ones in which there is challenge, where life is difficult and demanding, and therefore usually miserable as well. But their coach created a caring culture where care and respect were guiding principles. Trust and relationships were built and nurtured, and the crew were expected to look after each other, despite competition for a place in the boat. They were to press forward together rather than compete and ask what they could give, not what they could get. Respect included respect for their opponents, and getting things perfect was not the goal. Learning was. In order to grow, they were encouraged to make mistakes as long as they learned from them. The purpose was to unlock their potential and possibility so that they could give their best performance, not for themselves but for others, not for themselves as individuals but for the team. Key to all this was a sense of psychological safety. Right at the centre of your brain is your amygdala. This peanut-sized bunch of neurons is one of the earliest evolved parts of the brain, and it's concerned with safety and defending. Its main emotions are fear and anger, and once it's fired up, it's very hard to calm it down. Fear and anger leave us both on the defensive and on the attack, a state known as amygdala hijack, and we don't make good decisions under the effects of amygdala hijack. The Cambridge crew were kept safe, and they kept each other safe. This was not a macho environment of who is the biggest or the toughest. The culture of care did not produce a crew though that was soft or weak under pressure, but one that was resilient, in which performance was enhanced. It was a winning boat, this built not just confidence but courage. They were eager to learn from each other, modest, respectful and committed to supporting each other. Is this culture of care just for sport? Is it just for women or rowing? I don't think so. I think it's human, and I also think it's Christian. It's for all of us as we press forward together. After all, we're all in the same boat.