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Hello everyone, and thanks for clicking through to the High Performance Digest – your definitive monthly sports performance newsletter from Leaders. Matthew Stone here putting away the Wimbledon purple and green for another year, while the Leaders team get their Lionesses shirts ready for the Euros semi-final…
Please do keep sharing this link so all your peers and colleagues can sign up to receive this in their inboxes each month.
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🧠 5 QUESTIONS WE, AND OUR MEMBERS, EXPLORED LAST MONTH
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1. Do Leaders have any initiatives to help to drive a more inclusive sports industry?
We do. I want to tell you about Be The Lead – our brand-new initiative that will catalyse connections and conversations that enable a more inclusive sports industry. It’s an evolution of our Leaders Meet: Diversity Series and is designed to bridge the gap between over 2,250 existing community members and the wider professional sports industry. If you’re interested, you can find out more and join the community via this link.
Don’t forget, we also have our Women’s High Performance Sport Community Group too - an action-orientated space for those working in high performance sport that are passionate about growing women’s sport and access for women in sport.
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2. What if there’s clarity in your communication as a team, but still you suffer from misalignment?
Edd Vahid, Premier League’s Head of Academy Football Operations, recently shared insights on why teams may still face misalignment despite clear communication. The common thread? Feedback.
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- Staff Development: Mistakes are learning opportunities. If team members understand the goal but deviate, feedback is essential.
- Psychological Safety: Feedback thrives in a culture where people feel safe. “You give feedback because you care,” says Vahid.
- Leadership Behaviour: Leaders must invite feedback and be aware of the power dynamics at play. “Speak-up signals” are key.
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3. What are the four inhibitors that prevent adaptability in a complex world?
To lead effectively in complexity, leaders must empower others. As outlined by Tim Cox, great friend of Leaders, this means embracing the Four Fs:
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- Focus: Clear direction and purpose.
- Feedback: Regular reflection and learning.
- Freedom: Autonomy to innovate and adapt.
- Fusion: Strong collaboration within and beyond the organisation.
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4. Is leadership stagnating?
According to our recent Trend Report, 57% of practitioners feel leadership has plateaued or declined. The culprits? A shift to task-focused leadership and short-term pressures.
Even organisations that prioritise leadership development report stagnation. Edd Vahid (Premier League) and Ben Baroody (Abilene Christian University) suggested on June’s roundtable that the solution lies in distributed leadership, ongoing development, and skills like influencing, honest conversations, and active listening.
5. Which professional team down under have turned female athlete health into a performance question?
The Brisbane Lions are reframing female athlete health as a performance issue, led by Matt Green and his AFLW high-performance team. Their three focus areas:
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- Pelvic Health: Education and access to specialist physios.
- Breast Health: Annual screenings, fittings, and proper equipment.
- Gynaecology: Embedded specialists and open conversations around family planning.
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Virtual Roundtable: Our next VRT is on Thursday 24 July 2025 and is a ‘Sprint Skills Session’ exploring ‘Alignment on Strategy’. All the info here.
Events: We have our flagship North American event, The Sports Performance Summit (in partnership with our Main Partners Teamworks), in Philadelphia in just a couple of weeks on 30-31 July. We still have a few spaces left, so enquire here if you want to come along.
Events: A final reminder that we’re embarking on our second year supporting the NBPA with their Performance Summit at The Sanctuary in Andalusia, Spain. It’s next week, 22-24 July, and free to attend for our members, so enquire here if you’re interested.
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📖 OTHER THINGS WE'VE DIGESTED THIS MONTH
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🤝 GOOD PEOPLE, GOOD PLACES
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- Memphis Grizzlies have hired Ryan Saunders as new Lead Assistant Coach
- Aitor Karanka is the new Technical Director of Development of Spanish Men’s Football Team
- Mike Brown named New York Knicks’ next Head Coach
- François Modesto is Juventus' new Technical Director
- AFC Bournemouth appoints Robert Percy Marshall as Performance Director – which in turn means Jay Mellette has returned to the Vegas Golden Knights as Vice President of Performance and Medicine
- Chris Elderkin has been promoted to Head of Physical Performance at Manchester City
- Everton FC have hired Nick Cox as their Technical Director
- Tottenham Hotspur FC Women have appointed Martin Ho as their new Manager
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EXPAND THE LIMITS OF PERFORMANCE - JOIN OUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY
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Membership provides access to resources that give organsiations the confidence their teams are developing the knowledge, network and skills that lead to more impactful performance solutions.
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Tuition House 27-37 St George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4EU, London, United Kingdom |
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