---
title: "Redefining Business Success: The Sport of Business"
description: We get emotionally invested in the character of a team. In business we do the same. Brand loyalty has little if anything to do with the financial performance of a business. What makes our customers loyal to us is only partly to do with the quality of our products and services. It is more to do with the outside perception of how a business conducts itself. Increasingly, the values of a business are important to the market.
author: Brigitte Lawler (Contributor)
date: 2019-09-26T15:02:06.000Z
updated: 2026-02-26T22:05:51.270Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/redefining-business-success-the-sport-of-business
categories: Business
content_type: Column
region: Global
publication: Sovereign Magazine
---

Throughout my career I have used sports
metaphors while delivering key note addresses or facilitating workshops. In
these situations, I have kept the comparisons at a high level to avoid getting
tangled up in the finer details. Even at this high level of comparison, using
sports to illustrate concepts in the business world has proven effective time
and time again.

Recent events have brought me into the world of
sport and I have discovered two things:

The first discovery is that I knew even less
about sport than I thought I did. Not being much of a sports follower, I had
not paid it much attention. Thanks to the imagination and sheer determination
of my team, we are now enjoying new relationships and new business activities. The lesson in this discovery: be open to where
business opportunities may arise. 
Forging unusual relationships can give you an edge that no one else has
and can open new market segments for you.

The second discovery is that my knowledge about
business has helped me to understand the world of sport. The irony is that
throughout my career, I used sport to illustrate business and now I use business
to understand sports, which brings me even greater insights into business. The lesson in this discovery:  business is indeed a form of sport, and here
is why:

**There is more at stake than scoring goals**. In sport, the final score
determines the winners and the losers. In business, financial performance is
the score that determines the profitability and continuity of the enterprise.
There is no doubt that the score is the ultimate measure of success, but the
score is not all there is to it. In sport, we follow the strategy of the play.
We get emotionally invested in the character of a team. In business we do the
same. Brand loyalty has little if anything to do with the financial performance
of a business. What makes our customers loyal to us is only partly to do with
the quality of our products and services. It is more to do with the outside
perception of how a business conducts itself. Increasingly, the values of a
business are important to the market. People support a brand that stands for
something and whose actions are consistent with those values. Brand loyalty is the
emotional investment that our customers are willing to make only if we earn it.
As a business, we need to be aware of this and make sure that our strategy of
play centers around how we earn and keep our customers’ loyalty no matter what
happens in the market.

**The team is key to success**. The world of sport is full of superstars,
just as we find in the world of business, none of whom have achieved greatness
on their own. Every one of them has been able to accomplish greatness thanks to
having coaches, strategists and team members who have all played their part
leading up to the moments of glory. The greatest investment we can make in our
business is the investment in our team. That realization was a major turning
point in my business and thanks to having powerful, reliable and diverse team,
we are accomplishing business goals that I would not have dreamt of. It is
essential to pick your team members with as much consideration as a professional
team selects their players for an upcoming season. Followed by the ongoing
investment in leadership and engagement which is a must for the team to
function as a united entity, where everyone plays their part to achieve the
best results.

**Endurance is critical**. The investment in team success is
not a one-time action. Business leaders need to recognize that it takes
significant effort to keep a team focused, engaged and motivated throughout the
season. In sport, the season is a fixed period measured in months. In business,
the season is the life of your business, measured in years. There will be ups
and downs. There will be stumbles, misses and outright injuries that occur in
your business. Team changes will happen as some people leave and others come on
board. How the business deals with this and at the same time keeps the focus,
energy and spirit alive is completely up to the leadership of the business.
None of this will happen automatically. This is why in sport there is so much
emphasis on the team coach and why the best coaches are so much in demand.

**Being known for your genius is what makes you
memorable. **In any
given sport, consider how many teams and how many players there are. At the
same time, in any given industry, consider how many businesses there are with
similar offerings. The ones who are truly memorable are the ones that stand out
because they are known for something exceptional. I am amazed by how people
remember the detailed accomplishments of sports teams and individual players. For
example, our business partner Roberto Carlos, who played for Real Madrid at the
peak of his career is known all over the world for his ability to kick the ball
like no other and score goals that have made history. Amongst all the global
football players, both current and retired, his name and his brand are synonymous
with success. What is it in your business that the market recognizes as your
genius? Businesses get lost in trying to be everything to everyone. What is the
one thing that you want to be known for?

There are many complexities in the world of business, but one way to simplify it is to view business as a sport. How you win at business is all about what you are known for and how you play the game to deliver the best results to your market and to your supporters.

About Brigitte

Brigitte Lawler leverages her extensive experience of + 15 years of success as an executive in global business management and in leading transformational programs. She is a valuable advisor for any organization wanting to revitalize their business strategy. Her broad areas of expertise include leadership, professional development, performance management, business strategy, business transformation and process optimization. With a keen interest in innovation and exponential technology, Brigitte focuses on building businesses and shaping leadership teams that are future fit and ready for the new world economy.

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> [No better way to spend half a Sunday than hanging out with horses in the horse capital of the world. What a weekend: last night with Paul McCartney, this morning riding horses and this afternoon flying back home to Switzerland. #lifeofanentrepreneur #livingmybestlife #countrylife #happywithfurryfriends](https://www.instagram.com/p/ByOCvyXo7fk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)
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> A post shared by  Brigitte Lawler (@br1g1773) on Jun 2, 2019 at 12:39pm PDT