Sport Industry Nextgen 2021 Begins With Creative Leadership Session

The 2021 edition of Sport Industry NextGen began last Thursday as the latest 30 Leaders came together for an inspirational day of virtual training and personal challenges, taking their first steps on the prestigious leadership programme.

For the first time ever, the 2021 programme kicked off in digital fashion, and the afternoon – aimed at challenging and exploring leadership – was led by Optimist Performance, a specialist team-building, leadership and inspiration consultancy founded by former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips.

The new Leaders – a group of 30 top young professionals in leadership roles across organisations such as the ECB, PlayStation, Unilever, EXCEL ESPORTS, NFL, and Octagon – were put through their paces on Zoom, across multiple sessions designed to challenge and encourage their teamwork and hone their leadership skills. The group then spent the evening getting to know one another over the now-traditional Sport Industry NextGen quiz. 

Throughout the afternoon, the group of ten Sport Industry NextGen Coaches led the new Leaders in breakout groups, provoking their thinking and highlighting the most important topics of discussion across a range of topics. Leaders explored a number of different leadership scenarios, learning how to build habits, solve problems, and communicate effectively to their teams and peers – skills which will stand them in good stead for the future.

A diverse group of Coaches shared expertise from across the industry landscape, with a host of different forms of leadership on display . Both Leaders and Coaches were asked to share an object that represents their leadership skills, before exploring the term in more depth. The session stimulated discussion of the concept of leadership, challenging perceived thinking and developing ideas around personal growth as well as teambuilding.

Among them were Olympic gold medallist and UK Sport Chair, Dame Katherine Grainger; UK Athletics CEO, Joanna Coates; 11-time Paralympic gold medallist and Member of the House of Lords, Tanni Grey-Thompson; Sport England Board member Chris Grant; sports consultant and film-maker Leon Mann; Inspired Leaders Network CEO Rene Carayol, and Sport Industry Group Chairman and Benchmark CEO Nick Keller who led small-group breakout sessions, imparting their knowledge to the Leaders.

Creative leadership was a core theme for the afternoon sessions with many other topics being explored such as managing uncertainty, adaptability, trust and culture, as well as highlighting the value of listening to others and the power of realistic optimism, The cohort were shown how leadership can take many different forms, and that creativity and innovation are important parts of the concept. 

Leaders were taken through sessions to show how thinking outside the box can lead to better results, or the importance of identifying inefficient processes that organisations continue to follow simply because they are traditional.

Author, communicator, and strategist Alastair Campbell was interviewed by Rene Carayol in a session looking at leadership in practice and the different styles which help leaders from across the globe perform at their best. From those who have the ability to recognise their own limitations to those who are able to separate themselves out of the day-to-day and focus on the ‘strategic big picture’.

Understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses is a hallmark of leadership, according to Carayol, who said: “Everyone is brilliant at something, no one is brilliant at everything. The trick is to find out what your superpower is; what you’re good at. The minute you find that, your career trajectory changes.”

Alex Coulson, Managing Director, Sport Industry Group said: “Whilst the 2021 cohort couldn’t come together physically for their initiation, it was great to see them connect digitally to assess what leadership means to them, and to bond as a network that will last throughout their impressive careers.  

“Thanks to our group of Coaches for lending their valuable time and expertise to nurture the latest group of talent the sport industry has to offer, and to the Optimist Performance team for getting the programme off to a great start, helping the Leaders to develop and hone their skills.

“The rest of the 2021 programme promises an unrivalled set of opportunities for learning and growth through a Leadership Package covering all areas of professional and personal development, including the mental and physical challenges provided by Spartan and Tough Mudder later in the year when we hope to be able to bring the Leaders together in person.” 

Across the rest of 2021, the Sport Industry NextGen Leaders will embark on a host of more sessions on leadership, key skills, and exploring the societal issues facing sport as well as the wider community. The Leadership Package will feature top speakers from across the industry.