Learning from Sport to Get the Best from Our People

Out of the 40 leading C-suite executives privately interviewed, 90% stated that “the people piece” was one of their primary concerns. This was a very genuine worry, but the problem, as can be clearly evidenced, is that although leaders want their people to be developed and cared for, the reality is that business philosophy often works against those good intentions.

Hospitality has also struggled to communicate effectively about its many successes, both as an industry and as a career choice. Nearly all 40 interviewees expressed frustration that hospitality is still not widely seen as a strong career option, even though many of the old perceptions are now outdated. The industry has worked hard to improve its practices and behaviours. However, hospitality, like many sectors, still needs to work better at developing the mindset of emerging generations.

We have all heard the narratives about Millennials and Gen Z. We have all heard the criticisms of parents being “too soft,” which may hold some truth. Yet the harder reality is that our education system remains too focused on exam results and its own reputation, rather than on how effectively students are being taught to become well-rounded, balanced individuals.

Both education and business have become processes of working by numbers — of following a prescribed path — rather than encouraging individual freedom of expression, creativity, and innovation.

The findings show that many leaders feel business today has too many barriers to creativity and innovation. This piece suggests that the problem begins within the education system and continues into the workplace. Even university, once seen as a time for young people to think independently and explore ideas, is now often viewed through the lens of financial debt rather than intellectual growth.

One can make a strong argument that the system has lost its way, that we no longer encourage expression, creativity, and individualism from school to university to the workplace. The result is exactly what many business leaders now complain about: organisations full of barriers that stifle initiative and risk-taking.

Compare today’s world — dominated by league tables, university debt, and a growing fear of failure — with the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, when the young arguably had too much freedom. Those decades, from the social revolutions of the 1960s to the student protests and CND marches of the 1980s, produced some of the most dynamic business leaders we’ve ever seen. Is there a danger that today’s emphasis on control, metrics, and deliverables in both education and business has accidentally created generations more anxious, risk-averse, and fearful of failure?

It is perhaps no coincidence that modern workplaces are grappling with rising levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and mental ill health — or that businesses struggle to find people willing to take risks, be accountable, and innovate.

So how is the problem solved?

Sport faced very similar challenges. Many British teams once struggled on the world stage because they played within rigid structures that left little room for freedom or creativity. Even last week, one of England’s “golden generation” footballers (2002–08) reflected on how players were too siloed, rarely building friendships outside their club teams — only to become close once their playing careers ended. The hyper-competitive nature of British sport had limited its own development. Is that really so different from business today?

Sport began to overcome this by creating stronger academies that focused on coaching and developing young talent — not just technically, but mentally. Investing in the mindset and emotional development of the young led to stronger, more resilient performance at every level.
The development of mindset has never been more important in a world that is increasingly structured and intolerant of failure.

A powerful example comes from the New Zealand All Blacks. After losing to France in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the team concluded that their players struggled mentally under pressure. They believed that being the best team in the world had made them too intense, too fearful of failure. In response, they created a framework to build perspective and humility: players were encouraged to engage with community work and charities, to broaden their sense of purpose beyond the game.

Internally, they established a “No D**kheads” policy, where even the captain — one of the world’s greatest players — would sweep the locker-room floor. The message was clear: players were there to serve others — their team, their families, their country. The results were extraordinary: two Rugby World Cups and one of the longest unbeaten runs in sporting history.

There are clear lessons for business here. Great performance requires more than skill or process, it demands investment in development, humility, and a mindset free enough to make decisions and take risks.

The evidence suggests that business today is struggling precisely with these issues. Perhaps it’s time we took a page from sport’s playbook: developing people not just for results, but for resilience, creativity, and character.