Lessons learnt in sport can be hugely beneficial to a professional career, particularly when it comes to women. Research by EY found that a staggering 94% of women in the C-suite have played sports; “when they enter the boardroom, women athletes have a unique advantage by thriving on competition, determination and a strong work ethic.”

Liz Skakel, Partner specialising in Interim Management within the Human Resources Practice at Eton Bridge Partners, sat down with Diahann Williams, an accomplished HR leader, to discuss the connection between successful women in business and sport.

With over 30 years of international experience within financial services, FMCG, and energy sectors, Diahann has led initiatives that highlight the value of diversity and inclusion, and serves as a role model for women, ethnic minorities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Prior to her career in Human Resources, Diahann was a sponsored athlete in high jump, and appreciates that achieving success in leadership – similarly in sport – requires dedication, as well as the support of a diverse and collaborative team.

Early involvement in sport and its impact

Diahann Williams comes from a highly athletic family and was encouraged by her PE teacher to participate in sports outside of school. High jump became her natural event, leading her to compete at school, college, university, and eventually at county, club, and country levels.

As a teenager, she recognised the emotional impact of losing, which motivated her to train harder. “I was training at least three days a week and competing every weekend. My coach used to make me train with the boys and put weights on my ankles. Reflecting on that time, I can see how showing up each week, regardless of the challenges, helped me become more resilient, disciplined, and determined.”

Competition and leadership

Diahann’s competitive nature, honed through sports, carried over into her corporate career. “I think the thing that most people would have spotted early on in my career was my competitiveness. When I was in sport, I was doing sport for sport – it was only when I became more self-aware as a leader that I picked out that sport was where it started.”

However, she acknowledges that it was not always viewed positively. “I think there are some prejudices and perceptions of women and how they should be – when people were calling out my competitive nature, it was probably because they wanted me to dial it down. Today, society has evolved and I’m much more comfortable in my own skin. I can talk about my attributes and why I think it’s important that I show up as me.”

Lessons from sport in leadership and building high-performing teams

Sport played a significant role in Diahann’s transition to leadership. “Athletics taught me about discipline, hard work and results, teamwork, courage, and self-belief.” She recalls a pivotal high jump competition where she visualised success and executed her strategy flawlessly, demonstrating the importance of focus and mental resilience. “There’s something about that which translates into a career – staying calm, being focused. I’ve learned to take myself out of the tension and visualise success.”

When it comes to building high-performing teams, Diahann applies principles she learned from athletics. “I try to see every individual as the best version of themselves that they can be, through the lens of what their strengths are and what their potential is. I look for diversity. I know my own strengths, and I don’t need another me; I look for what complements that.”

There’s also something about how in sport the team analyse what could have gone better after every match or fixture. “In HR there are a lot of annual processes, and I insist on reviewing every single one to see how it could be improved. Then there’s the ability to speak candidly and not feel that it’s going to be taken in the wrong spirit – again in sport, that’s there too. Teams that embrace open feedback and where continuous improvement is part of their DNA are always more high performing.”

Resilience and problem-solving in business

One of the biggest lessons from sport is resilience, and Diahann applies this mindset to overcoming challenges in business. She recalls a major setback when launching a pioneering virtual game to attract early talent, which failed on the day of the launch. “You need to have self-awareness of what you can bring; I was not the expert. I needed others to help with what was a technical issue. It’s about collaboration and teamwork. I’m not the kind of boss who calls someone else and says, ‘Fix it.’ Don’t blame others or distance yourself from the problem – get in the middle of it and solve it. That’s something I learned from sport – you need to be able to bounce back from setbacks and not be emotional or judgmental when things go wrong.”

Building trust is really important – in an athletics team there is a level of trust to do the best you can for that club and that translates into the mental model of how Diahann approaches her work. “I make sure that the direction is clear. I deliberately put two opposites together to work on a project because I know they will lean into each other’s strengths, and it will help them develop.”

What can businesses learn from a sports mindset?

Diahann encourages CEOs and other C-suite leaders to embrace three key lessons:

• Teamwork and collaboration are critical. Taking accountability for everything as a leader is a slippery slope; including others leads to a better outcome.
• Learn from sports leaders and coaches; if something isn’t working, they make a change quickly. In corporate organisations, leaders need to be observant, act fast and communicate why.
• Avoid being over emotional and blame orientated. In sport, you look at mistakes for what they are without judgement. Wallowing in blame makes the problem fester rather than dealing with it and getting back in the game.

Celebrating wins and allowing yourself to recharge and reset

Diahann firmly believes in the concept of “stretch and support” – challenging individuals while providing the necessary guidance. “I know as a leader I can be demanding around the goals I set; however, in equal measure, I give support so other people can be successful. I’m also really good at celebrating the wins, however small – in tough environments, you can end up jumping from problem to problem, so celebrations are important.”

If there is one lesson Diahann urges business leaders to embrace, it is the ability to recharge and reset. “Find the one small thing that works for you to recharge and overcome setbacks so you can bring your best self to the next challenge. Resilience is a good thing to have, but you can’t keep going indefinitely – you need to be able to reset. Elite sports professionals can do it in between points. A professional tennis player might go from dropping a point to getting an ace – they have done something in that moment to recharge.”

My thanks to Diahann for a thought-provoking and truly inspirational discussion. Research suggests that getting girls involved in sports at a young age, regardless of whether they compete at a high level or not, brings skills and confidence that can be transformative for their long-term outcomes and it’s a topic that we hope to return to in future blogs.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this interview and look forward to sharing further insights with you. Please do get in touch if you would like to comment or discuss your own next steps in confidence.