I don’t know about you, but I love to watch a really big sporting event. So, you can imagine, like millions of others lately I have been in my element for weeks keeping my eye on test cricket, Wimbledon fortnight and the lift-off of the Women’s Euro 2022. We are constantly treated to a show of brilliance, guts, determination and it often seems, a display of pure magic.
Business connections
Of course, people have long been fascinated by the connection between sport and business and there have been countless books penned on the way sport can inspire business. There are many to choose from, such as Legacy by James Kerr, Will it Make the Boat go Faster? by Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge or my favourite, The Inner Game of Tennis by coaching legend Timothy Gallwey. Whilst there’s no doubt there are many valuable lessons to be learned by studying how elite athletes keep fit, train to new levels of excellence and ultimately beat their competitors to win events, perhaps events of recent weeks can also shine a light on an area of business which is currently arousing a lot of interest – namely resilience.
Survival of the fittest
We hear a lot about the England cricket team now ‘walking towards fear’ under the guidance of Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum. Or we see our own British tennis heroes going to extraordinary lengths to win at the highest level – and yet appearing at ease and clearly enjoying the game. My feeling is that we are seeing resilience in action, as an underlying trait. This allows sportspeople to take extraordinary steps forward without fear.
According to research by the leading figure in the field – Dr Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania – one of the seven key points needed to act with resilience is actions and goals. People who live their lives with clearly defined goals and action plans will stand a far better chance of winning through. No one can doubt Ben Stokes or Cam Norrie are following a well thought out plan – especially after recent high-level performances, which have driven crowds wild.
Inspiring success
Which brings me to my second thought. It is inspiring to watch people in action who are truly resilient. That applies equally to sport and business, in my opinion. Whether you are watching a fifth set tie breaker, or a runs-chasing innings to claw back what was a life-threatening deficit, it is exciting to witness. The effect of a cheering crowd only serves to increase the resilience and dependability of the performing sportspeople. They are inspired and spurred on to success. Similarly in business, ‘cheerleaders’ – team members or support of any kind in the workplace – play a vital role in helping others to sustain their success.
In recent times many business leaders have silently but unfailingly followed their goal-driven action plans to navigate their businesses through pandemic/war/cost-of-living crises showing true resilience and determination to succeed – perhaps we should be cheering them on, as well as Cam Norrie et al.