Month: August 2025

Last week’s post was named “Sports Innovation meets Business Performance & Trust”

During a recent podcast I discussed a very good friend of mine who was a successful NBA basketball player, whom followed a successful c-suite career in a large global Fortune 100 Technology company.

“How Might We Align Sports Innovation With Leadership and Trust”, the podcast that explores bold questions at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and trust.

During the podcast we explored transformative ideas and strategies for leadership and community. In this episode, and how leaders can cultivate impactful mindsets.

Rob Aston and I first met in Houston in 1998 – Compaq had recently acquired Digital Equipment, Tandem Computer and as a PC company was for the very first time about to enter telecommunications. The launch pad for this was World Telecom 99, an ITU sponsored event.

Compaq introduced a new initiative to improve the performance of its events arm, which accounts for around a sixth of its Marcom budget.

Year One was spent putting this process into operation, Year Two was focused on performance standards, and the necessary culture changes to achieve effectiveness targets.

Assuming success, Year Three was focused on implementation and evolving the process.

Like many businesses, Compaq wanted to achieve a major sea-change in its behaviour in an attempt to improve performance (financial and other measures), build on its strengths and outperform the competition sustainably.

This required a degree of commitment and culture change on the part of its frontline operators.

Objectives
– Current Evaluation of Corporate Event & Marcom Management
– The Proposed Strategy for Corporate Event & Marcom Management
– Implementation of The World-wide Integrated Design Strategy
– Cost Analysis & Justification

Rob was in charge of the global program and brought me in to platform and showcase the largest program of the calendar year and to take the global brand across 4 continents.

Rob and I travelled extensively: Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, N. America, South America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

There is a tremendous amount of trust that formed over the years, building trust between a supplier and a company is a crucial aspect of a successful and efficient business relationship. It fosters open communication, collaboration, and mutual benefit, leading to improved performance and cost savings.

When my grandmother passed, Rob flew down to Las Vegas where I was visiting on business and we travelled on a road trip, through the Rockies. We often took road trips; Miami through the keys, Boston to Salisbury, Monaco to San Remo, San Francisco to The Big Sur, San Francisco to Napa Valley and Sedona. Never a dull moment with Rob on a motorcycle adventure – or any adventure for that matter.

When Rob lost his family, I visited his hometown of Pittsburgh and spent time with him across his childhood memories.

There’s no doubt that winning requires hard work over a long time. Hard work alone, though, is not enough. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time (even nicknamed “The Greatest”), said: “Champions aren’t made in the gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside – a desire, a dream, a vision”.

Rob would always state to me: “If you have no spirituality you have no life” – never a more truer statement.

Mental toughness and what it is is a quote we hear a lot. And it has scientific evidence: in a study of Jamaican sprinters, the elite sprinters were found to have superior coping skills and mental toughness compared to a sub-elite group, suggesting that psychological skills may indeed be a differentiating factor of winners.

Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady has also said that mental toughness is what separates winning and losing.

And Rob is a huge New England NFL Patriot fan – but what it is and how you can cultivate it is slightly more complex – but also fascinating!

Self-confidence generally improves performance as it reduces negative thoughts and helps us focus. It seems, however, that more self-confidence is not always better. The relationship between performance and self-confidence isn’t linear, and too much can make us complacent and less likely to learn.

We need to celebrate Rob Aston and successful athletes.

Rob Aston has been a literal globetrotter for much of his adult life. A large collection of the former basketball luminary’s personal sports memorabilia will be featured in the James Sorbara Carnegie Sports Exhibit, part of the Historical Society of Carnegie’s museum.

And a number of family history books that Rob has written over the past dozen years will also be donated to help tell the community’s story.

He followed that by doing a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters, helping them transition from a serious basketball team into an entertainment franchise that still attracts scores of fans nearly 60 years later.

Given those exploits, Rob is no stranger to the spotlight, and recalls his dad’s statement: “You don’t want to hang around pro basketball for too long because people might get the idea that’s all you can do”, he said. So Rob had to set a goal to play professionally for three years – and that’s what he did.

Rob made the most of his time with the Globetrotters, traveling the world, entertaining fans and working with basketball legends such as Meadowlark Lemon, Curly Neal and Geese Ausbie. His rookie season, in 1967-68, he was in charge of the “tricks” – the gags that the team would play on the flummoxed opposition.

Rob never second-guessed his decision, as he flourished both in the classroom – graduating with a degree in education – and on the basketball court, where rebounding was his specialty.

The 6-foot-8 Aston still ranks fourth all-time in career rebounding with 10.9 per game and is tied for second in Mid-America Conference games at 11.7 per game. He still ranks third for most rebounds in a single game at 25.

He was no slouch on the offensive end either, as he averaged more than 18 points per game as a junior and senior and finished with over 900 points during his three-year varsity career (freshmen were not eligible to play varsity in those days). His all-around play earned him a spot on the All-MAC first team his senior year.

Still, Rob never regretted going the Globetrotter route after his college playing days ended. It afforded him the opportunity to see parts of the world he’d never seen, and he even dropped the Globetrotter name a time or two when needed later in life.

Like the time he was at a restaurant in Brazil and no tables were available. He mentioned that he was a former Globetrotter and a table magically appeared.

Although it’s been some time since he suited up for the Globetrotters, those memories are never far away, as Rob currently plays in a jazz quartet whose keyboard player is his former Globetrotter roommate. The band has played professionally for the past 15 years.

Rob’s time with the Globetrotters was just a warmup act for his actual globetrotting days, as he wore out a few suitcases while working for Digital Equipment Corp/Compaq and then Hewlett Packard. One of his positions at Digital required him to travel three weeks out of every month.

Rob said: “I’ve seen the pyramids, the Great Wall – anyplace you can name on six continents, I’ve been there” – he has visited 40 countries – 20 with the Globetrotters and 20 in his post-playing career, a stretch that saw him work for such heavy hitters as Gillette, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard.

Now 82, Rob is retired and lives in Houston –  he is a pilot and poet and spends time riding his Harley-Davidson in addition to playing music professionally, we still get to see each other occasionally.

Finally, research acknowledges that behavioural traits and coping strategies are partly genetical. But ample research also shows how these traits can be massively influenced by environmental factors, and that anyone who is serious about gaining an edge – in sports or in business – should nurture and train one’s skills to face and overcome stressful situations.

So, if you are naturally self-confident and have a strong belief in yourself, great. Just watch out you don’t become over-confident and blind to your flaws.

If you, on the other hand, lose your nerve before a competition due to the adrenal response caused by stress and anxiety, or if you have difficulties controlling your emotions in crucial moments – don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of performing at the highest level – these are all skills that can be learnt and mastered.

Lastly, we should be careful with labelling someone as mentally weaker than someone else based on performance.

Lacking sport-specific skills, not mental toughness, is what primarily makes an athlete vulnerable. Only when skills are on par for the demands of the sport does mental toughness start playing a larger role. And that’s where the marginal, but crucial, gains can be made.

As Vince Lombardi once said:

“Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.”

Sports fans love to compare today’s athletes to the legends of the past and speculate about who’s the best. While many of us cherish our childhood memories, it’s a cold, hard fact that, in almost every case, today’s athletes would handily defeat their predecessors.

Pro football fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin have always been recognized as a loyal and hearty bunch. But one wouldn’t have faulted even the most loyal “Packer Backer” if he’d decided not to attend the 1967 NFL Championship game between the Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Played at Lambeau Field on December 31, the temperature at game time registered a frigid 13 degrees below zero. Nonetheless, more than 50,000 parka-clad fans braved the elements that New Year’s Eve and watched in awe as the Packers claimed their third consecutive NFL title, with a 21-17 victory.

For today’s chief executive officers, there’s a lot to learn from that remarkable progress. And the need is urgent, primarily because the playing field has become radically more difficult. CEOs are on the job 24/7, responsible for addressing an ever-shifting array of problems and threats, even when there is incomplete information (usually) and when every move is under scrutiny (constantly).

Not only do CEOs have to deal with a wide range of stakeholders, all of them with their own priorities, but employees are increasingly demanding—as they should be. Plus, technology is changing at warp speed, and the geopolitical environment is unsettled. When companies slip up, they are judged harshly, not least through social media.

Research identified a number of traits required for 21st-century leaders: positive energy; selflessness and a sense of service; a belief in continuous learning; grit and resilience; levity; and an acceptance of stewardship.1 Since that time, we have been in dialogue with CEOs about how to get past the challenges of “living into” these attributes.

We learned that the best leaders today have made a generational change in their thinking, one that closely parallels how elite athletes prepare, train, and compete. In several ways, the two jobs—CEO and athlete—are highly correlated. Here are five leadership practices of great athletes that business leaders can adapt to their own work.

Today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing Dr. Beatrice Constandache, who is a member of the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Medical Committee, contributing to safety and innovation in extreme endurance sports. She has co-authored academic work including The Olympia Declaration (Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019).

As the visionary founder of Luz Innovations Medical Academy, she empowers clinicians, coaches, and health leaders to master cutting-edge approaches to performance and cellular regeneration.

With over a decade of hands-on medical leadership at Olympic-level events, Dr. Beatrice Constandache has served as a team physician for the Romanian National Rugby and Athletics Teams, providing expert care at more than 30 world-class competitions

Over to you, Dr. Beatrice.

Thank you Geoff!

In sports medicine, energy is crucial for athletic performance, injury prevention, and recovery. Ensuring athletes have the right amount of energy, through proper nutrition and energy balance, is essential for optimal training, competition, and overall well-being.

The energy balance is the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. The energy balance has two main components. One of these two components is energy intake and the other is energy expenditure. Macro nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) are used as energy sources. During energy intake, food intake is also under control of hormones. These ingested nutrients are used in the production or resynthesize of ATP through energy metabolism.

The energy released by the breakdown of ATP is used in all metabolic processes that require energy, including muscle contraction. In addition, although vitamins and minerals are not directly involved in energy production, they have functions in some metabolic reactions. Energy is consumed in three ways. One of these is resting metabolic rate, the other is the thermic effect of food, and the other is the energy spent through physical activity. Studies have shown that the energy taken in athletes is insufficient compared to the energy expenditure.

Some researchers have stated that some amino acid and herbal supplements have positive effects on athlete performance.

I identified six forces for change in sport: Evolving Global Market; Pace of Digital; Next Generation; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Health & Wellbeing and Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change.

Over the last 15 months, I have monitored the impact of these trends with a broad range of sport leaders, through conversations with leaders across my client network.

Analysis highlights that as investment continues to fuel innovation across the sports industry, leaders are focussed on blazing their own trail through attracting new investment, embedding digital capabilities, engaging the next generation of fan and instilling trust across their operations.

Optimism stems from action. Now is the time for organisations to start playing their role in the future of sport.

The sports industry continues to experience profound change, as complex market dynamics increase competition, strain finances and disrupt operations.

But there is a sense of optimism, one driven by the benefits that come within an ever-globalised industry, presented with opportunities like never before.

Most sports industry leaders are feeling hopeful: more than half of the leaders we surveyed said they felt more optimistic about the future growth of the sports industry than they did last year, with our analysis identifying that many leaders have now implemented initial changes and are realising their benefits.

Many of these optimistic leaders are bought-into the need for transformation and are driving a culture that reflects a positive outlook towards change.

While for those at the start of their journey, recognising how key industry trends are impacting their organisation may prove the first crucial step.

As more capital flows into sport, the need for agility to keep pace with innovation will be crucial to staying relevant.

Leaders identified the evolving global market, pace of digital and next generation as the most impactful forces for change.

These forces impact day-to-day operations, with organisations grappling with increased competition, new digital-first operating models and divergent demands and preferences. Stakeholders are recognising an immediate need for change as new challengers enter the market, sweeping in digitally-enabled innovation.

Leaders also recognised a qualifier for the success of these forces: Trust.

This force for change, introduced for the first time in our 2024 report, explores how leaders are continuing to protect the reputation and sporting integrity of their organisations, while reacting to the societal issues which resonate with their fans, players, workforce and partners.

Analysis shows that leaders across sport must act vigilantly to garner trust across stakeholder groups. Those that fail to act may be trumped by challengers who act swiftly and daringly to take on key issues.

As industry dynamics continue to evolve, there will be additional opportunities for stakeholders to step in and disrupt legacy models in the market, while revenue diversification will remain a top priority.

• Sports leaders expect investors to be the most impactful stakeholder in sport over the next five years, followed by tech giants, fans and athletes.
• This comes as a new profile of investor and intensified interest from private and sovereign-wealth investors is reshaping the landscape.
• Over the next five years, we expect to see an increased focus on revenue diversification, as leading properties invest in global growth, entertainment focussed real-estate, direct-to-consumer initiatives and integrated adjacent businesses.
• In relation to revenue, the leaders we surveyed predicted that digital products and data will be the fastest growing revenue streams over the next five years, a tell-tale sign of the digital revolution underway across the industry.
• Meanwhile, women’s sport was selected as the greatest overall growth opportunity for the industry, followed by diversifying sports experiences and developing data capabilities.

A comprehensive market analysis, combined with a robust data strategy, can lay the foundations for leaders to better target their investments as they explore new ways to grow revenues, fanbases and participation.

In developing personalised digital experiences, sports organisations can reach new demographics and unlock opportunities they have previously not been able to reach.

Each force for change presents unique opportunities and risks to sports organisations, investors and governments around the world. For example:
• For governments, the evolving global market is presenting new opportunities to form partnerships with investors that will drive social benefits.
• For investors, the pace of digital is providing new ways to create value post-transaction.
• For sports organisations, the Next Generation is offering new to attract new audiences and extend the loyalty of fans.
• And for all, Trust presents significant risks that hold the potential to corrode relationships across fanbases and instigate significant reputational damage.

Back to you Geoff!

Thank you Beatrice,

The world of business and sports may seem like two distinct arenas, but the mindset of successful athletes holds valuable lessons for CEOs and executives. Just as athletes push their physical and mental limits to achieve greatness, CEOs can adopt a similar approach to enhance their health and business performance.

Let’s explore how adopting an athlete’s mindset can lead to improved wellbeing, greater leadership capabilities and, ultimately, elevated business success.

Athletes are renowned for their meticulous goal setting and visualization techniques. Before a race, match or game, they vividly imagine themselves achieving success, going through every step and detail in their minds.

Visualizing the path to success can enhance focus, motivation and determination, enabling CEOs to overcome obstacles and lead their teams toward shared objectives.

Athletes face setbacks, failures, and tough challenges throughout their careers. What sets the best athletes apart is their resilience and grit, the ability to bounce back from adversity and maintain a strong sense of purpose.
CEOs, too, encounter numerous hurdles in the business world. By embracing the athlete’s mindset of resilience, they can develop a growth-oriented approach to problem-solving and inspire their teams to persevere through difficult times.

Athletes are constantly seeking to improve their performance, regardless of their current level of success. This growth mindset, emphasizing learning, skill development and continuous improvement, is a powerful tool for CEOs as well.

By encouraging a growth-oriented culture within their organizations, CEOs can foster innovation, adaptability and a willingness to embrace change, vital elements in the fast-evolving corporate landscape.

Athletes adhere to rigorous training schedules and maintain strict discipline to optimize their performance. CEOs, with their demanding schedules, can benefit from adopting a similar approach to time management. Allocating time for crucial tasks, prioritizing responsibilities, and avoiding distractions are essential in achieving peak performance as a leader.

Athletes understand the importance of teamwork in achieving victory. They collaborate, communicate and motivate their teammates to collectively achieve their goals. Much the same, CEOs need strong leadership skills to drive their companies forward. By embracing the athlete’s mindset of teamwork and leadership, they can build cohesive and high-performing teams, fostering a culture of trust and cooperation.

In sports, distractions can cost athletes dearly. Therefore, maintaining focus and mindfulness are essential for optimal performance. CEOs operate in a fast-paced and demanding environment, where distractions are abundant. By adopting a mindset of focus and mindfulness, they can make better decisions, improve productivity and develop a deeper understanding of their business landscape.

Athletes recognize the direct connection between physical health and performance. They prioritize their wellbeing through proper nutrition, exercise and rest. CEOs often neglect their health due to work demands, but by thinking like an athlete, they can recognize that taking care of their bodies is essential for sustained high-level performance.

CEOs who prioritize their health are better equipped to handle stress, make critical decisions and lead their companies to success.

Studies have shown that regular exercise and a balanced diet improve cognitive function, boost energy levels and enhance overall wellbeing. CEOs who prioritize their health are better equipped to handle stress, make critical decisions and lead their companies to success.

Athletes thrive in competitive environments and possess a burning ambition to excel. Similarly, CEOs can embrace healthy competition and channel their ambition to drive innovation and growth in their organizations. By setting ambitious yet achievable goals, CEOs can inspire their teams to push boundaries and achieve extraordinary results.

On sports teams and within companies, there are great practitioners — and then there are great leaders.

A great practitioner might shine when times and circumstances are stable and predictable; however, in times of disruption and uncertainty, it’s the great leaders and their organizations who flourish and achieve success through the headwinds.

Lionel Messi: Perseverance, Collaboration And Shared Purpose
Lionel Messi’s journey to World Cup glory is a story of patience, persistence and trust in his team. Messi’s career had been filled with triumphs, but one elusive goal — the FIFA World Cup — remained out of reach for years.

In 2022, at age 35, Messi finally achieved his dream, leading Argentina to victory. Though Messi’s individual brilliance was pivotal, his teammates played equally critical roles: Ángel Di María scored crucial goals, Emiliano Martínez made game-saving stops, and the entire team rallied behind their captain.

The lesson here is powerful: even the most talented individuals cannot succeed alone. Greatness is a team achievement built on trust, collaboration and shared purpose. As Messi’s team worked together seamlessly on the world’s biggest stage, so too must the team members within any organization—whether in sports or business—unite to achieve its goals.

Finally, trust is key. The athlete needs to believe that the coach is the right person to guide and challenge them. If they don’t trust their coach, if they don’t believe the coach has their best long-term interests at heart, the relationship is not going to get the best out of them – consistently, on a sustained basis.

Trust is equally as important in leadership. Particularly in times of uncertainty and times of rapid growth, building trust within your teams and organisations is vital if you want to get the best out of your people over the long term, and enable them to achieve more than they thought possible.

We all know that trust is critical in order to build positive, sustainable workplace cultures. It is the foundation that upholds all of the values — such as respect, honesty and commitment — that build a productive workforce.

Cultivating trust between employees and leadership is a process that builds over time based on consistently achieving mutual benefits and goals. It is a two-way street: Employees must believe that their leaders have the experience, skills and knowledge necessary to guide their teams, while leaders must have the confidence that their employees will support and accept their guidance to make the organization successful.

Vince Lombardi an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League once said “It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not a winner.” – highlighting the importance of trust and faith in oneself and others during challenging times.

This article is the expressed opinions and collaboration between two senior-level industry board professionals on their views and perceptions on the subject matter.

Geoff Hudson-Searle is a senior independent digital non-executive director across regulation, technology, and internet security, C-Suite executive on private and listed companies, and serial business advisor for growth-phase tech companies.
With more than 30 years of experience in international business and management he is the author of seven books: Freedom After the Sharks; Meaningful Conversations; Journeys to Success: Volume 9, GOD in Business, Purposeful Discussions, The Trust Paradigm and Scars to Stars Volume 3 and lectures at business forums, conferences, and universities. He has been the focus of radio/podcasts and TV with London Live, Talk TV, TEDx and RT Europe’s business documentary across various thought leadership topics and print media with The Executive Magazine, Headspring/FT, Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Raconteur, AMBA, BCS, EuropeanCEO, CEOToday across his authorisms.
A member and fellow of the Institute of Directors, associate of The Business Institute of Management, a cofounder and board member of the Neustar International Security Council (NISC) and a distinguished member of the Advisory Council for The Global Cyber Academy. He holds a master’s degree in business administration. Having worked for corporate companies Citibank N.A, MICE Group Plc, Enigma Design, MMT Inc, Kaspersky Laboratory, Bartercard Plc, and RG Group around the world, Geoff has vast international experience working with SME and multinational international clients. International clients with which Geoff has worked include the British Government, HP, Compaq, BT, Powergen, Intel, ARM, Wartsila Group, Atari, Barclays Bank, Societe Generale, Western Union, Chase and Volvo.
Geoff has worked in a broad range of industries including software, technology and banking which has given him a range of different experiences and perspectives of what can work, the importance of good people, process and how these can be applied and amplified to deliver results in different scenarios and paradigms. Geoff is known for bringing in a fresh viewpoint and sometimes challenging the status-quo with a strategic approach delivering successful change management programmes and launching companies and products internationally that deliver results. Geoff’s areas of expertise lie in brand strategy, business communications, business integration, business development and improvement, capital raise activities, pre-IPO planning, capital raise transactions, M&A with full P&L responsibility, which ideally equips him to strengthen global companies, develop SME and international business, and marketing strategies.
The Trust Paradigm
At Amazon on all formats including Audible: buy now
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/geoffsearle

Dr. Beatrice Constandache is a member of the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Medical Committee, contributing to safety and innovation in extreme endurance sports. She has co-authored academic work including The Olympia Declaration (Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019).

Her education includes a medical doctorate from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Bucharest) and post-graduate clinical training in Romania, Italy, and Germany, including internal medicine, dermatology, and nephrology.

Languages spoken: Romanian (native), English, German , French, Italian, Spanish

Areas of expertise: Sports Medicine • Regenerative Medicine • Concussion & Performance Recovery • Multilingual Medical Education

As a renowned sports medicine specialist and IAU Medical Committee member, she brings over 15 years of clinical excellence to our academy.

Her pioneering approach integrates cutting-edge techniques with personalized medicine to optimize athlete performance and recovery. Dr. Beatrice Constandache

Founder & Medical Director – Luz Innovations Medical Academy

She is a board-certified Sports Medicine Specialist with a unique career that bridges elite international sports, regenerative medicine, and education. As the visionary founder of Luz Innovations Medical Academy, she empowers clinicians, coaches, and health leaders to master cutting-edge approaches to performance and cellular regeneration.

With over a decade of hands-on medical leadership at Olympic-level events, Dr. Beatrice Constandache has served as a team physician for the Romanian National Rugby and Athletics Teams, providing expert care at more than 30 world-class competitions including:
• IAAF , World Athletics and European Athletics Championships
• World Rugby Under 20 Trophy , World Rugby Under 18 etc.
• World Mountain Running and Cross Country Championships etc.

She is a respected medical educator in sports trauma and concussion management, having trained over 1,000 professionals across Europe through World Rugby First Aid and Anti-Doping programs.

Linkedin: https://de.linkedin.com/in/dr-beatrice-constandache-2650639b
Website: luzinnovations.com