Leveraging winning tactics adopted by elite athletes in the boardroom
Stephen Newton
By Stephen Newton, CEO, Elixirr
Inspired by elite athletes, 91% of CEOs have a pre-meeting ritual they swear by to succeed
High performance isn’t just the preserve of professional athletes. Determination, commitment and sacrifices are needed for successful CEOs and professional sports players alike, yet the intangible demands and accomplishments of business leaders are less often acknowledged.
Research by challenger consultancy Elixirr reveals how both C-level and professional sportspeople achieve success in their fields, with both CEOs (94%) and professional athletes (99%) putting a huge amount of pressure on themselves to succeed. What’s more, both CEOs (63%) and elite athletes (87%) believe that being more mentally resilient is what sets them apart from their competition . . Unsurprisingly, training, practicing, executing, learning, refining are all key to developing a winning mindset. As a result, 100% of professional athletes and CEOs take the time mentally prepare for an important meeting or competition, with CEOs most likely (27%) to spend between 16 and 20 minutes on average psyching themselves up for a meeting. Both CEOs and athletes practice the techniques required to make bold decisions during crucial moments. Over three quarters (78%) of both CEOs and athletes feel confident pivoting and adopting a new approach if their strategy or ‘game plan’ isn’t going to plan during an important meeting or competition.
Not just committed to achieving success for themselves but for their teams as well, CEOs and professional sports stars value the importance of having a strong team surrounding them, with the majority of CEOs (92%) and athletes (98%) attributing some of their success to those around them.
It’s these qualities that make it possible for CEOs to become successful business leaders who pioneer real change. Bold leaders are those who take risks in order to reap greater rewards and who aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of possibility to generate success for themselves and their teams.
