TITLE:
Adapting Elite Sport Mindset Techniques for Senior Leadership Development: A Four-Month Online Program Evaluation
AUTHORS:
Michael John Conway
KEYWORDS:
Mindset, Performance Improvement, Business, Elite Sports, Learning Program
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
16,
2025
ABSTRACT: An innovative, integrated learning program focused on building more effective mindset skills and modelled on methods and concepts used in elite sports was examined to determine its impact on the performance of a sample of 20 senior leaders in 2 global organisations. The participants took part in a four-month-long online learning experience set in a unique virtual environment. This learning environment was engineered to help participants develop the skills to adopt a “high-performance” mindset. Both qualitative and quantitative assessment tools were employed to measure participants’ performance before, during, and after their virtual learning experience. On completion, participants and leaders reported that the integrated mindset training improved work and home environments (a 10% average improvement in performance was identified). Surveys comprising four different metrics, namely the Individual Workplace Questionnaire (IWPQ), the Emotional Agility and Leadership Measure (EARL), the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioural Activation System scales (BIS/BAS), and the Integrated Mindset Index. Plus, two different sentiment analysis results using IBM Watson and Harvard General Inquirer, which also showed a positive trend. The Integrated Mindset Index was a new assessment index built to review individual progress and reviewed by elite sporting coaches from six sporting codes and the organisations’ leaders. The study sets a precedent for the use of integrated mindset learning in organisational development strategies. This research study sheds light on how you can take the learning methodologies used in elite sports and adapt them to the world of executive education. It also confirms the vital importance of nurturing a growth-oriented mindset in business leaders if they are to perform at peak levels and lead their teams effectively. The program is now being rolled out into a number of other organisations.