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The North East Chamber of Commerce held an event which explored lessons from the worlds of professional sport and business to create high-performance workplaces.
The Sport and Business – Enabling High Performance Workplaces event looked at strategies for building stronger, more collaborative teams and the importance of adopting a holistic, people-first approach to achieving success in any organisation.
Event host Lisa Burt, change and transition coach at Lisa Burt Coaching, emphasised the importance of trust and leadership in creating high-performing teams.
She said: “It’s more important than ever to foster high-performance cultures that deliver results and value. Those who lead by example and cast the right shadow are the cornerstone of successful teams.
“High-performing teams also share a vision, goals and values. They understand and live the behaviours expected of them, creating a culture that’s not just talked about but embodied every day.”
Attendees gained valuable insights from two panel sessions. The first panel included: Su Cumming, head of women’s football at Newcastle United Women; Marcus North, director of cricket at Durham Cricket; Nikki Hutchinson, project manager at England Golf; Mel Reay, head coach, and Steph Libbey, assistant head coach, at Sunderland AFC Women.
They shared invaluable insights into how principles such as leadership, resilience, teamwork, and effective communication play a vital role in fostering high-performance environments.
Nikki said: “Resilience and being able to embrace challenges is key. Learning how to navigate challenges is important – you have to draw on the people and resources around you.”
Former Australian cricketer Marcus spoke about the pressure within elite sports. He said: “There’s a tremendous amount of expectation. One of my first lessons was never to underestimate the power of words in welcoming people into a team.
“The then Australian cricket team captain Ricky Ponting told me, ‘Don’t try to be someone you’re not.’ That advice helped me find my place and perform.” Marcus reflected on the resilience needed in both sport and business, highlighting the importance of accountability, adaptability and trust.
Mel and Steph discussed balancing professional and non-professional players in football, reinforcing the significance of clear communication and honest conversations around mental and physical wellbeing. “Providing wraparound care and seeing things from the players’ perspective is crucial,” Mel noted.
Reviewing performance was a recurring theme. “Planning and reviewing regularly is important for clarity. Finding ways to keep improving rather than focusing solely on results is key,” Mel added.
A second panel discussion featured Nicola Leyden, HR director at Muckle LLP, Gerard Garvey, executive principal of people and culture at NCG and Jeanette Matthews, learning and development partner at Talentheads.
The business professionals discussed how they are leveraging high-performance strategies to strengthen company culture, enhance employee engagement and improve organisational outcomes in the workplace.
Nicola emphasised the importance of self-reflection within organisations: “Inwardly question what your organisation can do to improve and upskill people, and utilise engagement surveys and focus groups to get to the root cause of what’s getting in the way.”
Nicola also highlighted the need for balancing business needs with employee needs, and the importance of building relationships through great conversations.
Jeanette added: “Create a people strategy and invest in them. Regular team discussions, self-reflection and playing to people’s strengths are key.” Whilst discussing changing culture, Jeanette said it’s also important for businesses to embrace optimism and present change positively, whilst understanding the emotions your team will be experiencing.
Gerard reinforced the need for strong communication to build a high-performance culture. He said: “Create a high-performance workplace by creating leaders in communication. Focus on how information is passed on in middle management, embrace diverse opinions and enable social mobility.
“A good workplace culture is important and is changed and developed through people having a sense of belonging.”
Gerard added: “We’re proud to sponsor this event, as it aligns with our people-centric approach. Being here today is important because these conversations are central to our work across NCG’s national network of colleges and professional services teams.”
This was the first event of the Chamber’s 2025 Knowledge Programme, which aims to highlight the role of people.
Tim Marsden, knowledge manager at the Chamber, said: “This event provided a fascinating deep dive into high-performance workplaces, drawing on insights from professional sport, business and academia.
“From fostering a winning mindset to cultivating positive workplace cultures, it was a powerful reminder that supporting our people has never been more important.”
The Sport and Business – Enabling High Performance Workplaces event took place at Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light on 29 January and was sponsored by NCG.
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