We’ve spent the last few weeks at Premier League Football and Premiership Rugby training grounds, as well as an amazing day considering what elite performance means in the most physically demanding of the arts.

But no matter how high or low tech the facilities, the learnings have been the same. Our tour came to an end at a conference at Leicester Tigers where I had a chance to chat through our observations on a panel with with Diccon Edwards, Mitch Willis and Simon Wallace.

These are my key takeaways:

  1. Time spent performance planning is always time well spent. You may not be able to control what happens on the pitch, but you can set the initial conditions to give the best chance of success.
  2. In any role, and any team, culture is as importance as capability. Without a vision to work to, well and frequently articulated, you can’t motivate people to a common goal.
  3. There is no small stuff. Anything that matters enough to be done, matters, the impact of getting the little things right should never be underestimated.