Sports can make us better leaders

Great performances require good leadership, whether it is in sports or business. And just like a great athlete, you have to train to become a good leader. If you ask Rikke Rønholt, PhD at the Department of Management, Society and Communication and former elite athlete, it is in fact all the little things you do on a daily basis that train you to become a better leader. Because just like in sports, you simply cannot cut corners. “Great performances don’t spring from nowhere,” she says.  

Rønholt herself used to be an elite athlete. Her greatest achievement, she tells us, was when she won the EU23 European Championship in 400 m hurdles, or when in 2006, she reached the semifinals at the European Championships in 800m. After a career as an active athlete, the role of CEO at Global Goals World Cup became her new passion. It is an organisation that aims to mobilise women to play more football and work with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 
 

A leader performs by way of others

“As a leader, you have to strategically consider how to get the best possible team and then decide on which style of play or training the team needs. A leader performs by way of others, you see.”

- Rikke Rønholt, PhD fellow at the Department of Management, Society and Communication

Indeed, aims can be very useful if you wish to perform at the top-level. However, it is also a question of how you get there, Rikke Rønholt explains. Because even though a leader’s role may be comparable to that of a cyclist fighting for their team, pulling the company up that unsurmountable hill, you should, in fact, rather think of the leader as a coach:

“As a leader, you have to strategically consider how to get the best possible team and then decide on which style of play or training the team needs. A leader performs by way of others, you see.”

Likewise, leadership is a discipline that requires effort. It is a skill that requires practice, humility and openness towards learning. “Daring to make mistakes and receive feedback is something the world of sports really teaches you, because you have to continuously learn from your mistakes,” she elaborates. 

As a leader, you cannot make unjustifiable demands and then expect your employees to do what you tell them to, simply because you are their leader. We must listen to each other and communicate, create a room for feedback. You have to find a way of balancing the pressure people are under while also ensuring that everyone is onboard. 

Which is also why you have to be realistic about your goals. Because even though you always have to keep your eyes on the ball when you encounter opposition or distractions, regardless of  whether you are a leader or an athlete, you also have to be able to adjust and adapt your plan:

“It should never get to the point where you can only identify with your goal, where you’re not able to let go if it turns out to be a mission impossible,” Rønholt points out. 
 

Nobody can live in the red zone

“It’s neither a viable nor a sustainable strategy to constantly push you team beyond its limits. Nobody can live in the red zone.”

- Rikke Rønholt, PhD fellow at the Department of Management, Society and Communication

Balance is a key word, the researcher emphasises. Despite of the numerous things from the world of sports that may inspire you as a leader, there are also things you should not adopt. 

“It’s neither a viable nor a sustainable strategy to constantly push you team beyond its limits. Nobody can live in the red zone,” says Rikke Rønholt. 

The key to truly achieving a top-performance lies as much in the quality of one’s restitution as in the performance itself. A point that is also crucial in the world of business. 

“In sports, your body will provide you with the feedback that lets you know that you need a break. If, on the other hand, you exercise the mentality of an elite athlete in a business environment, where the body does not have the same possibility to provide feedback, you risk driving people over the edge, mentally.”

Which is why you have to know your team. Rønholt explains that the way she incorporates sports in leadership development is all about localising where the ressources for a performance come from. Because to her, it is as important to be concerned about how we recharge our batteries as it is to be concerned about how we perform. Because where there is energy, there is engagement. And the bridge between the two is communication:

During the years when Rønholt was running her fastest races, it was her father, a former national basketball coach, who trained her. She explains that together, they developed a method of training that both put pressure on her, but also strengthened her. They were able to succeed, because they knew each other and because they gave each other feedback.

“I believe that knowing one another’s limits is a vital element,” she stresses thoughtfully and looks forward to continuing the conversation on sports and leadership on April 11th at the event: “From the saddle to the corner office: Leadership experiences from the world of sports."