Adopting an Elite Sports Mentality to Entrepreneurship In elite sport, success isn't just down to the number of goals or tries or points scored. It's about everything which happens behind the scenes.

The preparation, the expertise and teamwork of those in the background all play a huge part in creating a winning squad or even in the making of an individual athlete. Healthcare is built into daily routines, where nutritional advice, fitness training, performance monitoring and recovery strategies keep players healthy, resilient and in peak condition.

The best teams don't just focus on fixing injuries; ongoing assessments actively prevent them before they happen, issues are identified at the slightest twinge and the necessary boundaries are put in place so that health concerns can be tracked, monitored and picked up before they become a wider problem. It's this proactive approach to creating an environment where physical and mental health is prioritised that keeps a team winning without injury or illness, so that when it comes to lifting the trophies, it's not just the athlete standing on the podium but the training staff, fitness managers, physios and nutritionists too.

This strategy is natural and embedded in the culture of sport because it delivers results. So why don't businesses operate the same way? Despite the evidence that healthier employees drive better business outcomes, productivity and financial performance, many organisations still treat health as a secondary concern, addressed only when problems arise, rather than a fundamental pillar of success. Employees are often expected to push through mounting stress, fatigue and illness until they reach a breaking point or burn out completely (this is especially true of entrepreneurs and founders running their own businesses, where 'hustle culture' has become synonymous on social media with corporate success and happiness), yet this reactive strategy isn't just ineffective and disruptive, it's actually unsustainable.

The reality is that hustle and success isn't down to the number of hours worked, but the strength of the leader and team, both physically and mentally. As a former athlete, I know full well that performance is a reflection of preparation and to me, ignoring employee wellbeing is like sending a team onto the pitch exhausted and still expecting them to win. If, as entrepreneurs, we look after the health of our squad in the same way that high-performance sports teams do - with early intervention, proactive support and a culture of resilience - we're already on the trajectory for success.

This means providing employees with routine health check-ins and the resources to stay well rather than waiting for problems to arise. Innovations including biometric health screenings and ergonomic assessments are providing huge benefits, but it's about the smaller actions too. Ensuring teams get out from their desks, have adequate breaks, and, in the era of working from home, socialising, are all crucial, especially for mental health. There are lessons to be learnt around this latter topic too. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Team USA took a dedicated psychological services provider with them. As the former team psychologist for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, Kweku Smith PhD, was on call 24/7 throughout the games to tend to athletes' mental health whether they were in crisis or just needed to talk.

This is just one example, but sports teams at the highest levels across all disciplines, are all now investing heavily in psychology, resilience training and mental conditioning to ensure their players can handle pressure, maintain focus and recover from setbacks. It's therefore obvious that businesses should be taking the same approach, embedding mental resilience as a standard. This means, like Team USA, normalising conversations about stress and anxiety, providing mental health resources and creating environments where employees feel supported in maintaining a work-life balance, while also feeling motivated to reach higher. Echoing Smith, "When we talk about mental health, people think of it from an illness standpoint but they don't think about it from a wellness standpoint."

Statistics already show that businesses which prioritise employee health create an environment where people feel valued and happier which then leads to stronger teams, better communication and improved performance. A study by Oxford University even found that wellbeing improvements in a workplace boosted output by up to 21 per cent, reflecting the notion that employees who are well are more engaged, more creative and more motivated to contribute, resulting in fewer sick days and higher engagement.

Importantly for the C-Suite, the financial case is also undeniable. With statistics showing that proactive health strategies can reduce absenteeism by 20 to 30 per cent, companies are saving five to six figure annual cost outlays purely from performing health evaluations as standard practice, rather than emergency measures. The World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute also found that companies that invest in health see up to 55 per cent higher economic returns, and perhaps even more compelling, a hypothetical "Wellbeing 100" stock portfolio of the healthiest workplaces has outperformed major indices like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq since 2021, making it clear that wellbeing is not just a perk, it's a strategic advantage.

Furthermore, on a broader economic level, the figures show that for every £1 the government invests in employer health incentives, the return could be £4 to £5 in reduced public health pressures and higher tax revenues from a healthier, working population. With these results, it's clear that investing in workplace health shouldn't be an afterthought, but a necessity for long-term success. Healthier employees create a self-sustaining model where businesses thrive, and in turn reduce strain on public healthcare services, contribute more to the economy and create a more resilient workforce overall. With 2.8 million people out of work in the UK due to ill health, a thriving workforce is not just good for business; it's good for the economy.

So it's time for entrepreneurs to start thinking like elite sports managers. A winning team isn't just about talent, it's about being in the best possible position to succeed. The companies that recognise this will be the ones that build stronger, healthier, and more successful organisations in the years to come.