{"id":33993,"date":"2026-03-09T09:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=33993"},"modified":"2026-04-17T16:43:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:43:02","slug":"four-building-blocks-of-a-great-performance-environment","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-building-blocks-of-a-great-performance-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Building Blocks of a Great Performance Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n 9 Mar 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

Four Building Blocks of a Great Performance Environment<\/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
\n
\n
\n
Category<\/div>\n Open Access<\/a> <\/div>\n
\n
Share<\/div>\n Facebook<\/a>\n Twitter<\/a>\n Email<\/a>\n Copy Link<\/a>\n
https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-building-blocks-of-a-great-performance-environment\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

At a recent Leaders virtual roundtable, members discussed their enablers, levers, operational prerequisites and delivery mechanisms.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

\n

By John Portch<\/h6>\n
\u201cI know we have good people,\u201d said Ayao Komatsu. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of putting it together, giving them clear direction, and an organisational structure that promotes \u2013 forces \u2013 communication.\u201d<\/h6>\n

The Haas F1 Team Principal spoke onstage at the 2025 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London about his team\u2019s efforts to compete with better resourced and more illustrious teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we cannot work together, if you\u2019re not supporting each other, if you\u2019re not aligned, we\u2019ve got zero chance against organisations minimum three times our size.\u201d<\/p>\n

Komatsu\u2019s words set the scene for a virtual roundtable in late February, where Institute members reflected on what makes a performance environment great.<\/p>\n

They set out the barriers they face before discussing how they would approach those barriers if given a clean slate.<\/p>\n

Off the back of that, we\u2019ve identified four building blocks of great performance environments for your consideration.<\/p>\n

Building block 1: psychological safety (the enabler)<\/strong><\/p>\n

When people feel psychologically safe they are better able to contribute to the collective. It also promotes shared ownership and breeds alignment.<\/p>\n

A head of culture from the world of English rugby union said:<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important elements of a great culture is to be a place where people can be themselves and be comfortable being the type of people they are.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Job security is a critical element. A coach at an English Premier League academy said:<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you\u2019ve got your key people, the people that want to be on the bus, in their roles then it\u2019s just trying to keep them in those roles and develop them to better influence environment and the athletes.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As for the athletes, a practitioner working in the British sports system observed their growing participation as stakeholders:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a big shift in environments where athletes have much bigger voice and are involved in a lot more decisions, conversations. They don\u2019t want to be told what to do anymore. They want to feel involved; know why what\u2019s happening is happening.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She then explained that the athletes need to be met halfway so that the dressing room does not turn into a \u201ccomplaints forum\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely found that when you give that space to the athletes, they then can take it a little bit too far. Sometimes they complain about everything. \u2018We want to fix this, we want to fix that\u2019. It\u2019s not super constructive\u2026 how do we create those boundaries and expectations on what that looks like; and how can we keep it productive to the goals of the environment and what we want to do?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Building block 2: empathetic leadership (the primary lever)<\/strong><\/p>\n

When leaders are attuned to their people and consistent in their conduct, it helps to create an environment in which psychological safety, ambition and learning can flourish.<\/p>\n

This begins with the everyday signals leaders send; what they are prepared to tolerate and the elements they choose to reinforce. The head of culture working in English rugby union said:<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure that the sort of organisation you want to be is mirrored by the behaviours you accept. So it\u2019s all good and well talking about having a good place to be and a good culture, but if you accept behaviours that are not aligned with that place you want to be, it\u2019s disingenuous and people see through it.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Leaders also shape the environment through the stability they create. In certain sports, this is a rare commodity. As a coach working in the notoriously trigger\u2011happy world of elite football pointed out:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere there\u2019s lots of turnover, people become naturally less and less inclined to think about long-term growth and development.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet this long\u2011term lens is essential staff and athletes alike. The same coach added:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re dealing with a 21-year-old high potential player who arguably hasn\u2019t had some of the development they should have at a younger age, there’s probably loads of room for growth in those players if you can foster the right environment. You should be looking for the corners and the spaces around the programme where development is achievable.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Building block 3: opportunities for growth (the operational prerequisite)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The trick is in providing athletes, coaches and staff with opportunities to develop under your stewardship.<\/p>\n

A mental performance coach working in youth tennis in the US highlighted the problem that academy coaches (and their players) may encounter in this regard:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a balance: how we can help the athletes improve, whether through coaches or what we call \u2018free play\u2019 so they can learn skills and have fun while doing it. But also, we live in a culture where the parents or whomever just want to see results right away and maybe that’s not the best for long-term success and the athlete’s career. You can be good at 12 years old and winning a lot of tournaments and matches, but how you\u2019re doing it right now might not be better suited down the line.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the face of short\u2011term pressure, leaders must give people clarity in direction, expectations and the team\u2019s priorities. A head of health and wellbeing from the world of motorsport spoke of their experience of the value in having \u201cmission clarity\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can then make sure that you\u2019re really clear on the ambition of where you want to get to, then build back from there.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Building block 4: systems & processes (the delivery mechanism)<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you have safety and clarity, one can then put in place the necessary processes to deliver high performance.<\/p>\n

The head of health and wellbeing in motorsport spoke of an environment where leaders emphasise the importance of structured, backward\u2011planned systems. He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are we currently? Look at the gap; and then how do we go about setting some really clear priorities and a strategy that we can deliver that gets us closer to it?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsewhere, a member working in the military highlighted how intentional routines and reflective spaces help his teams stay aligned:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is value in being very deliberate in thinking about our infrastructure. We have a couple of offsites each year to drill down and make sure we’re getting these things right; to find the right answer. I\u2019ve been a part of a few different teams and the ones that function the best find a way to do that.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

Too Often, the Person Is a Sticking Plaster for a Lack of Robust Systems and Processes<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n