Aim For The Stars And Your Business Will Follow

When looking for the edge in an increasingly competitive world sometimes it is the relatively small things that can make a huge difference in life. The way you look, your own personal image can be the difference between success and failure, whether we like it or not, people buy people and first impressions count.

One of the most obvious differences between business and sport is that in sports there is absolutely no room for failure. If you don’t perform from the start and improve your performance every year you will be out, where as in most business’s a vast majority of workers reach a certain comfort level and go no further.

So What can Business learn from Sport?

The behaviours that successful sportspeople exhibit can be found running through the core of any successful organisation, team or individual. By using sport as an inspirational learning model it enables people to take a black or white look at performance and then put the necessary steps in place to reach potential. Sports Performers take a look at the end point first asking the question what do I want to achieve? The best organisations in the world work the same way, clear and specific goals that everybody buys into.

How does the sport translate to Business performance?

Sport is about getting in the zone for performance, being a 10 when it matters most, in intense pressure situations. The mindset of a sportsman in the moments prior to performance will make the difference as to whether he goes clear or he fails. It’s the same in sales. What you tell yourself before that crucial moment will impact on your confidence, your body language and your ability to get the result you need.

What is the biggest single piece of advice you can give?

Never fear failure. In sport you face it all the time, competition to competition, game to game. You cannot reach your potential if you are not prepared to face failure, as long as you learn from it and do something different it brings you closer to achieving your goals. Many organisations create an environment where people are too afraid to fail so they never shoot for great things and stay in a comfortable un- exposed place, to be successful sometimes you need to get uncomfortable.

Olympian Steve Smith is still Britain’s most successful High Jumper. His record of 2.37m has stood for 15 years. Let him help you ‘Raise the Bar’. For expert advice on staff engagement programme and motivational speakers to improve your own business visit RaiseTheBar.co.uk