{"id":32908,"date":"2026-01-02T11:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T11:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=32908"},"modified":"2026-01-27T11:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:44:49","slug":"the-debrief-a-snapshot-of-powerful-discussions-happening-right-now-across-the-leaders-performance-institute-21","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-21\/","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 Jan 2026 <\/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

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Team culture, coach development and cartoons loomed large as we wrapped up 2025.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

\n

By John Portch<\/h6>\n
On behalf of the Leaders Performance Institute I would like to wish you all a very happy New Year.<\/h6>\n

Here at Leaders Towers we were delighted to enter 2026 with Lando Norris newly installed as the Formula 1 world champion.<\/p>\n

Several of us hope it will be the first of several world titles for the Brit, but my colleagues and I were also struck by the manner in which his McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella, spoke of Norris\u2019 holistic development since finishing a distant second in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe definitely learned a lot from last year\u2019s mission, even though it didn\u2019t go all the way to the last race,\u201d said Stella in the aftermath. \u201cThere were some learning moments, like in Austria. That was tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stella referred to the moment when Norris collided with Max Verstappen as they vied for the lead at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. Norris would not finish the race; Verstappen claimed fifth position and a further ten points as he motored towards his fourth world championship. But Stella believed that something changed for Norris that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Lando raised his self-image, along the lines of, \u2018I can compete with Max\u2019,\u201d Stella added, warming to the topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my view, there was another important turning point this season: the way Lando responded to the difficulties at the start of the season. That was the beginning of a structured, holistic process that encompassed personal development, professional driving and racing craftsmanship. And I\u2019m particularly pleased that Lando was able to capitalise on that because I haven\u2019t seen anything like it in terms of the amount of work, the people involved and the speed of development.\u201d<\/p>\n

These utterances came just days after a Leaders Performance Institute Virtual Roundtable where members discussed holistic athlete development and alighted on some of the themes raised by Stella including athlete co-ownership, the convergence of performance disciplines, and the increasing emphasis placed on mental performance.<\/p>\n

Members can read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There was plenty more besides to engage our members\u2019 during a busy December at the LPI.<\/p>\n

Insight of the month:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things I see, certainly in the corporate world, is that people mistake \u2018good\u2019 for high performing. In my experience, genuine high-performing teamwork is much rarer than people would admit.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know what it feels like when a team is dysfunctional and something\u2019s not working, but when a team is harmonious and there are fairly good relationships, people mistake that for being a high-performing team.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The wise words of John Bull, the Head of High Performance at our friends Management Futures. Bull led a session looking at the elements that go into making a high performance team, from the building blocks needed to the human factors that can inhibit your progress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Best advice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cListen to the system and the system will tell you what it needs. I think a large part of where culture can get derailed is where people don\u2019t feel heard and valued.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So said a performance support specialist from the Australian Olympic and Paralympic system at a virtual roundtable where members discussed how their team cultures are evolving.<\/p>\n

They specifically referred to the potential resistance a leader may encounter from long-tenured staff or when dealing with rapid turnover. In any case, your people must feel you are listening to them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Performer(s) of the month:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re within our rights to say Norris here, but December\u2019s accolades go to Bluey Heeler and her friend Rusty.<\/p>\n

The second half of that sentence may make little sense if you\u2019re not familiar with the Australian children\u2019s animated series Bluey, but one women\u2019s international cricket team has inaugurated its \u2018Rusty Award\u2019 for the best teammate, a gong that is handed to a player at the end of every training camp or block.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used an episode to bring to life our \u2018embrace change\u2019 value,\u201d said the team\u2019s performance lead\u00a0at the very same virtual roundtable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Good to know:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Did you know there are four types of innovation?<\/p>\n

That is according to renowned change management specialist Greg Satell and his model of innovation, which Professor Fabio Serpiello, the Director of Sport Strategy at Central Queensland University, shared during the second instalment of his three-part roundtable exploration of tech-supported innovation in sport:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Serpiello then shared his thoughts on each quadrant:<\/p>\n

Basic research \u2013 a low understanding of both domain and problem:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cWe don\u2019t really know what the problem is and we don\u2019t really know in which field or area it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disruptive innovation \u2013 a well-understood domain but poorly understood problem:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIn this area you may need something like innovation labs or launch pads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breakthrough innovation \u2013 a poorly understood domain but well-defined problem:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThis is the reverse of disruptive innovation\u2026 the classic example of open innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sustaining innovation \u2013 a well-understood domain and problem:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThe most common form in sport [and often the subject of] continuous research, design thinking or road mapping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members can read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Startling fact of the month:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Serpiello was back at it in the third and final session of his series with further reflections on our 2025 Trend Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The report posed the question: do you have a process in place to make sure that the tech you implement is the right one?<\/p>\n


\nFewer than half of respondents said \u2018yes\u2019, with more than a third saying \u2018no\u2019. Curiously, nearly 20 percent said \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good chunk,\u201d said Serpiello. \u201cIt is probably more interesting than the \u2018yes\u2019 and \u2018no\u2019 given that most of the people that responded are at the \u2018head of\u2019, \u2018director of\u2019 or \u2018vice president of\u2019 level.\u201d<\/p>\n

What followed was an exploration of what a thorough and considered process of procurement should include<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One you might have missed:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jamie Taylor, an Assistant Professor in Elite Performance at Dublin City University [DCU], used a virtual roundtable to explain to members that coach development too often veers towards less direct practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar to what we see in coaching, there has been a view that it\u2019s inappropriate to offer more direct pedagogical approaches,\u201d said Taylor. He believes this is a consequence of sport being influenced by executive coaching practices and adult learning theory. Yet coaching is not C-suite work.<\/p>\n

Supported reflection and communities of practice can be useful, but there are limitations. \u201cIf the coach hasn\u2019t got the knowledge to reflect, or the coach developer doesn\u2019t have a strong pedagogical capacity, then it can end up being just a nice coffee and a nice chat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about the challenge of raising coaches from merely \u2018competent\u2019 to genuinely \u2018expert\u2019 here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Finally\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

A photo record of the best bits of 2025<\/a> at the Leaders Performance Institute.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s coming up in January for members:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out your 2026 virtual learning calendar at:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Virtual Learning<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n