{"id":31101,"date":"2025-09-02T07:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T07:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=31101"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:10:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:10:37","slug":"the-debrief-a-snapshot-of-powerful-discussions-happening-right-now-across-the-leaders-performance-institute-18","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/the-debrief-a-snapshot-of-powerful-discussions-happening-right-now-across-the-leaders-performance-institute-18\/","title":{"rendered":"The Debrief \u2013 a Snapshot of Powerful Discussions Happening Right Now Across the Leaders Performance Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n 2 Sep 2025 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Debrief \u2013 a Snapshot of Powerful Discussions Happening Right Now Across the Leaders Performance Institute<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Coaching & Development<\/a>, Human Performance<\/a>, Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/the-debrief-a-snapshot-of-powerful-discussions-happening-right-now-across-the-leaders-performance-institute-18\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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In August, the Leaders Performance Institute explored why psychological safety, alignment and smart planning represent different ways to putting the person first.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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By John Portch<\/h6>\n
On Sunday the Northern Superchargers Women lifted their first Hundred title following a match-winning performance from a player who had been in England for just two weeks.<\/h6>\n

All-rounder Nicola Carey hit an unbeaten 35 runs at Lord\u2019s to help the Superchargers chase down the Southern Brave\u2019s first innings total of 115 for six.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole group is amazing, so it was so easy to come in the middle of the tournament,\u201d said Carey on the field at Lord\u2019s in the aftermath.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of weeks ago I was back home in\u00a0Tasmania, doing a cold pre-season,\u201d she added, \u201cso to get the call-up first of all was pretty surprising and to finish the couple of weeks with a win, it couldn\u2019t have gone better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head Coach Lisa Keightley and captain Kate Cross have pulled out all the stops to foster an inclusive environment, to which Carey\u2019s compatriot, Phoebe Litchfield, alluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Northern Superchargers are my favourite team to play for,\u201d she said, \u201cand it\u2019s just been a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their human touch was in further evidence as the team carried a life size cardboard cutout of their injured and absent teammate, Georgia Wareham, onto the podium, then going as far as to place a medal around the cardboard Wareham\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

Add this all up and the Superchargers\u2019 approach appears to be simple: put your people first and they will deliver upon their talent.<\/p>\n

This was a recurring theme across the Leaders Performance Institute in August.<\/p>\n

Here is a snapshot of what was said.<\/p>\n

Psychological safety\u2026 or psychological\u00a0confidence<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This question was raised in a recent \u00a0Leaders Virtual Roundtable that explored the balance between challenge and support for athletes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Psychological safety has long been a performance buzz term, but a team in motorsport is taking it upon itself to reframe its terminology. Their wellbeing lead told the table: \u201cWe\u2019re playing around with the idea of creating psychologically confident people. In meetings, we make sure that we give everybody a chance to speak up\u2026 there\u2019s also got to be challenge, to get [people] to that psychologically confident point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Words clearly matter, as a performance support coach in British varsity sport pointed out. \u201cThe language we use when we\u2019re talking to the athletes, it\u2019s not a \u2018challenge\u2019, it\u2019s not an \u2018adversity\u2019, it\u2019s \u2018exploration\u2019, \u2018playing\u2019, \u2018responsibility\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try to cut<\/strong> through the noise around the athlete<\/strong><\/p>\n

Athletes increasingly ask for support beyond their sport and performance<\/a>, which means everyone must be on the same page.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think the modern athlete has changed or has it always been like this, but as performance staff, have we failed to notice it?\u201d asked Simon Rice, the Vice President of Athlete Care at the Philadelphia 76ers at our Sport Performance Summit in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it is 50:50 as there is no denying that they are more informed because of more information being available,\u201d he adds, \u201cbut this does create noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remedy requires trust as players in the modern era tend to ask for an explanation more often. The Sixers talk to their players and they talk to them early as they seek to understand what\u2019s important to them. \u201cDo not shut things down right away, work with them to find solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is, however, a limit. \u201cIt is important to have your non-negotiables so they know where the line is too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team planning, individual focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patrick Mannix, the Sports Science Senior Manager at US Soccer, set the scene for a roundtable presentation that centred on performance planning in the international game, specifically the development of camp training plans for players who join up from their respective clubs in the US and beyond.<\/p>\n

The players as individuals are at the heart of their planning<\/a>, with sessions devised two weeks out once player arrival times are confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will design things from a team level, but then we also have to look at matters very closely at an individual level when we\u2019re trying to safely integrate players into our national team environments,\u201d said Mannix.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time, we are dealing with tapering strategies and figuring out how can we optimize players\u2019 readiness going into competition,\u201d he continued. \u201cSo it\u2019s often an exercise in fatigue management when they\u2019re coming into our environment and not necessarily trying to drive fitness adaptations, but, on the flip side, we\u2019re also there to potentially facilitate a lot of those long-term physiological adaptations that are occurring.<\/p>\n

Alignment and the \u2018multiplier effect\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

True alignment delivers a multiplier effect<\/a>, as John Bull told a roundtable of Leaders Performance Institute members last month.<\/p>\n

In an ideal world, each stakeholder\u2019s efforts would multiply the others. \u201cOne person\u2019s talent is building on and adding,\u201d says the Director & Lead for High Performance Research at Management Futures. \u201cThe multiplication becomes exponential.\u201d<\/p>\n

If teams are to achieve the multiplier effect, Bull highlighted five critical considerations:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Who?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Who are you trying to align and what different talents can you bring to bear on a problem? Be sure to involve all relevant parties, including those who may be excluded for fear that they will be distracted.<\/p>\n

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    1. What are you trying to achieve and by when?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Misalignment often arises not from disagreement on the goal itself, but on the timeline and resources needed to achieve it.<\/p>\n

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      1. Alignment on strategy i.e. the \u2018how\u2019<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The distinction between strategy (high-level direction) and tactics (specific applications) is not always understood.<\/p>\n

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        1. Ways of working<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Alignment is an outcome of agreed processes of communication, collaboration and decision-making.<\/p>\n

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          1. Vertical and horizontal dimensions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            While vertical alignment (e.g. between board and coach) attracts a lot of focus,\u00a0 horizontal alignment between departments or teams underpins a truly joined-up approach.<\/p>\n

            What to read next<\/strong><\/p>\n

            <\/p>\n

            Transparency, Empathy and Empowerment: Five Ways Teams Are Serving their People in 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n