Media Centre
We coach leaders and their teams to do things they otherwise couldn’t. Our clients learn to think straight, relate well and act powerfully. We teach the same underlying performance skills through leadership programs and master classes.
We draw on insights from Olympic sport, business and psychology. As a result, our clients achieve more with our help than they could alone. We listen well and don't prescribe solutions - but we'll apply our expertise and offer advice when it helps our clients.
Performance1 was founded in 2000 by Jonathan Males. Along with fellow Director William Winstone and a strong associate team, we work throughout the UK.
Our clients include the Environment Agency, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Natural England, UK Sport, Friends Provident, Barratt Developments, Ealing Borough Council and Brighton and Hove Council.
To talk to us about our work or insight, get in touch with William Winstone
Achievements
UK Sport
Jonathan facilitated the design and implementation of Mission 2012, an ambitious programme that helps Olympic and Paralympic sports deliver on the unprecedented £300m investment before the London Olympics.
National School of Government
Jonathan’s a sought-after tutor on a range of the National School of Government’s Leadership programmes. He’s also facilitated the highly rated "Awareness Brings Change” workshop session at Civil Service Live, working with a group of more than 80 senior civil servants.
Team GB Olympic preparation camp
William was one of the two psychologists at the GB 2008 Olympic preparation camp. 147 of GB’s Olympic athletes – along with their coaches and support staff – stayed at the team GB holding camp in Macau before travelling on to Beijing.
Environment Agency
Performance1 have worked extensively with Corporate Information Services, Flood Risk Management and several regional management teams through transition periods and re-organisations, offering individual leadership coaching, team development and culture change support.
Individual Leaders
We coach leaders in a range of settings, including board members and directors of FTSE100 companies and NHS trusts.
Media comment
We’re available to comment on the following topics. For more details, get in touch with William Winstone.
2012 - the inside track
Our coaches and sport psychologists have been closely involved in the Olympic Games since the 1992 Australian silver medal in women’s slalom kayak. We understand the challenges that athletes, coaches and managers will face in London – and the skills they need to succeed. And we know how they’re relevant for managers and leaders in the world of business.
Sports psychology - the Olympic experience
When they’re walking out into the stadium, athletes need to feel at home. They need to feel like they own the event. So while an Olympic event is mostly similar to other big competitions, there are a few things that are very different. Great preparation means pre-empting and tackling these issues first so athletes can put their effort into performing.
Leadership
A position of responsibility makes demands on people: not just intellectually or physically, but emotionally too. So stepping up to a position of leadership can magnify the natural flaws we have as human beings – if we don’t put the work in to tackle these issues first.
Business psychology
Business psychology means helping people be at their most resilient to improve their performance. So instead of just applying unhelpful labels that don’t fit, it needs to be about helping people work with their emotions to perform better. In sport, Roger Federer’s tears after winning Wimbledon made him all the more human – a lesson many leaders could heed.
Change management
An athlete seeking an Olympic medal takes for granted periods of discomfort and uncertainty. But the dream of a medal sustains their effort. Managers usually worry too much about people’s feelings during organisational change, and should recognise that cynicism and resistance are normal. But don’t let it get to you – give them time to adapt and the resources they need to carry on working. Crucially, if people understand that what they’re doing is important, and if they have a sense of purpose, they’ll find the resilience they need to get through.
Training
The best way to improve your training results? Cut your budget. It’s guaranteed to help you weed out the ineffective training from what really works.
Talent management
With most large organisations made up of younger and younger workers, do you have the people and capabilities you need for effective mentoring? And are your leaders doing the inner work they need to engage with your younger talent, or do they feel their position is threatened by the youngsters?
Performance management
Most organisations try to improve their performance management by changing the process: adding reviews, schedules and new forms. But bosses need to give people clear feedback on how to improve, which often means telling them they aren’t doing their jobs properly. So how can you help people deliver tough but fair messages, instead of giving all their people above-average results?
Learning and Development
Why do L&D managers so often entertain, not educate? That’s one explanation for the constant search for the latest idea or management fad. The lesson from elite sport is different – don’t go for anything fancy until you’re absolutely confident you can perform the basics better, and more robustly, than your competitors.
Organisational Development
Organisational performance is all about adapting to the demands of your environment faster than your competitors. There are two important things to do – and you need to do both. The first is to ‘fix the machine’: get the processes matched to real outcomes that create value for your customers or stakeholders. The second is supporting people to learn, grow and be all they can be - so-called soft stuff, but tremendously powerful when it relates to real-world outcomes.
Contact us
To talk to us about media availability, get in touch with William Winstone at wwinstone@performance-1.co.uk, or by calling 020 8216 3775.
