Former rugby international Benjamin Kayser says every challenge is a learning opportunity (Photo by ... More Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images What do elite athletes and exceptional business leaders have in common? Both thrive on pressure, adaptability and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Former soccer player David Beckham, former tennis player Serena Williams and former basketball player Michael Jordan are three examples of professional athletes who have put skills honed in the sporting arena to good use in the boardroom. Organizations and their leaders can undoubtedly learn powerful lessons from the world of elite sport. For that reason, the key challenges shared by leaders in both business and sport were a major theme of last week’s Trinity Business Summit 2025, hosted by Trinity College Dublin’s Trinity Business School. Here are four of the most powerful lessons that leaders can take away from elite sport, shared by speakers who attended the event: 1. See challenges as a learning opportunity “Resilience is an essential quality, both on the field and in business,” says Benjamin Kayser, former French international rugby player and founder of venture capital firm Teampact. “In high competition, failure is not a matter of if, but when it will happen. And the key to success is the speed of reaction and getting back on the horse. In sports, every challenge or failure is a learning opportunity.” Kayser believes that “What if” sessions are a way to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. “Before each game we would gather the leadership team and project ourselves challenging game situations: red card, injury of key player, rain starts pouring down,” he explains. “The idea wasn’t to get ourselves down, but to collectively find solutions so that if these events did end up happening, we would react to them quicker, skip the moaning phase and go straight to solutions.” MORE FOR YOU Do Not Make Calls On Your Phone If You Get This Message NYT Mini Crossword Today: Hints, Clues, Answers For Wednesday, April 23 Bitcoin Prices Rally To 6-Week High Near $94,000 As Bullish Factors Fuel Gains 2. Believe in your team “The biggest difference-makers in my growth as a high-performing athlete weren’t the coaches who demanded perfection,” says Emma Merriweather of Trinity Meteors women’s basketball team and student-athlete for Trinity Business School. “They were the ones who expected failure and trusted me to get back up, learn and try again. More than anything, they led by example, modeling the standards they asked of me.” Merriweather emphasizes the critical role of leaders in shaping team morale. “As a player, the first thing I do after a mistake is look to my coach,” she says. “Their reaction shapes my next move. And the leaders I performed best for were the ones who, especially when I was struggling, reminded me how much they believed in me.” In an organizational setting, employees give more, stay longer and come back stronger when they feel seen and supported, especially after they stumble, according to Merriweather. “Leaders who carry a next-play mentality, grounded in belief and transparency, don’t just develop great teams or employees, they develop leaders,” she says. “By creating a culture and environment where people grow from mistakes rather than fear them.” 3. Tap into the power of shared purpose “The principles of ‘diversity and inclusion’ and ‘merit’ have recently been portrayed as conflicting in both business and politics,” says Professor Laurent Muzellec, dean of Trinity Business School. “Yet in the world of sport, they are not in opposition but in harmony. On the field, differences fade – what truly matters is teamwork, the ability to contribute and the shared goal of winning.” Muzellec notes that, in sport, it doesn’t matter where you come from. What matters is how you perform and support the team. “This meritocratic focus naturally promotes inclusion, where individuals are valued for their contribution and impact,” he explains. In high-performing teams, collaboration and a shared purpose consistently outweigh individual differences, according to Muzellec. He says: “By adopting a performance-based, team-first mindset, organizations can unlock both diversity and excellence – turning differences into competitive advantage.” 4. Set bold objectives “As an Olympic sailor, I saw the effects of climate change on waters I raced on,” says Annalise Murphy, Irish triple Olympian sailor and head of operations at SportsKey, a provider of sports facility management software. “Sea breezes became unreliable, extreme weather more normal, and I could no longer rely on historical weather data for predicting wind trends. Success in sailing requires being deeply in-tune with the environment – just as businesses must be with sustainability.” Murphy believes that leaders should treat sustainability targets like elite athletes treat their goals: ambitious, measurable and driven by a desire to be the best. “Athletes don’t aim for mediocrity,” she says. “They set bold objectives and hold themselves accountable. There’s no grey area in sport; either you succeed, or you don’t. In business, sustainability can’t be a vague message, Murphy argues. It must be a clear, non-negotiable commitment. “If people see it as an optional extra, convenience will always win,” she explains. She adds that another lesson for leaders from elite sport is that “real success comes from pushing boundaries and refusing to accept failure.” Follow me on Twitter. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades