Having examined high level performance for over 20 years, the most notable difference between sport and business is that sports teams understand their results will be governed by who they put on the park and how well they play on the day. Businesses on the other hand tend to think a bit about who they employ but little beyond that.

If an organisation is to succeed, it needs to start thinking more like a professional sports team. This means it has to not only select the most competent people it can find, it has to figure out how to enable them to perform to their potential once it has them on deck.

As obvious as it sounds, this is not how companies operate. Today, organisations across industry still look at employment as a cost, not as the key to its success. For example, no sports team worth their salt would go for the cheapest player. What they do is look for the best players they can get who fit their requirements then give them the tools to excel.

The second difference between the two is most business people turn up to work and endeavour to do the right thing whereas athletes turn up to training and strive to perfect their skills and ability to perform.

This pursuit of excellence is critical for none of us can slide up hill. If we want to win, we have to instil a culture that embodies this aspiration throughout our business not give people reason to believe that because they are employed, they are beyond the need of development.

If you want your business to operate at a higher level, you have to create a culture that drives it. If on the other hand you are not prepared to ask for more from those you employ, you have to accept the outcomes you are after will remain beyond the reach of the organisation you’ve built.

At the end of the day, your business is not just a consequence of who you have on your team, the results they produce will be a consequence of what you enable them to be.

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