Success in sport is governed by performance but driven by practice – and plenty of time is dedicated to ‘practicing’ with training, both physically and mentally, attracting a huge investment of time and money.
Success in business is also all about performance and we draw a lot of inspiration from sport, yet that rarely converts to us spending anywhere near enough time ‘practicing’ or developing as individuals and teams.
We expect leaders to step into high-stakes situations and perform, but without the structured preparation that athletes rely on to refine their skills, adapt their strategies, and strengthen their resilience.
Why we need to rethink business preparation
Given that the creation of a high-performing organisation will reduce attrition of talent by up to 43%*, and increase productivity by 14%*, it feels counter-intuitive that nearly three-quarters (72%) of UK managers who recently quit their jobs would have stayed if adequate training and support was available**.
These figures highlight the cost of neglecting development, yet in many organisations, leadership training is still seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than an essential investment in long-term performance.
In sport, preparation isn’t just about physical conditioning or technical skills. It’s about understanding behaviour, analysing patterns, and being emotionally ready to perform. Sports teams spend hours studying their own gameplay, their opponents, and their mindset under pressure. This holistic approach ensures they are mentally, emotionally, and physically equipped for success.
But in business, we assume our leaders already have these skills refined and ready to go. We don’t create the same conditions for skill development, yet we expect elite-level performance. Imagine if sports teams approached preparation the same way most businesses do; only reviewing their strategy when something has already gone wrong. The results would be disastrous.
Building a culture of continuous improvement
One of the biggest distinctions between business and sport is how we define winning and losing. In sport, it’s clear-cut: you win or you don’t. In business, success often exists on a spectrum. Consider customer experience, for example, where outcomes can vary between satisfactory, good, and outstanding. The margin between success and failure is often less obvious, which may contribute to the lack of urgency around leadership development.
That said, personal growth plays a huge role in both worlds. In sport, athletes strive for personal bests, even if they don’t win the overall competition. In business, professional development should follow a similar trajectory, with leaders consistently working towards better decision-making, sharper communication, and stronger leadership presence, even if they’re already performing well.
Bringing a sporting mentality to business leadership
Ultimately, though, it is a fact that the sporting elite don’t get where they are without continual self-improvement and reflection so, in business there must surely be a strong argument for the same approach.
With the lack of time invested in leadership development, though, this gradual improvement must be based on reflecting as and when projects finish, potentially as a new one starts. I guess that’s called ‘learning on the job’.
When we work with clients on an ongoing, strategic basis, we create structured opportunities for reflection, learning, and adaptation.
Unlike one-off interventions, this approach ensures development isn’t sporadic or reactive but sets the scene for a culture of challenging assumptions, refining thinking and applying insights in real time.
Eventually, this results in a growth mindset with self-awareness and resilience being hard-wired into the thinking of the organisation.
With talent attraction and retention increasingly becoming a key differentiator, is it time to reflect on whether your organisation is serious about developing strong, resilient teams and whether that could mean taking a more structured, sports-like approach?
Sources:
* Gallup, 2022
** 360Learning, 2022