In this episode our host Helen Yates, Editor of Global Thought Leadership, chats to Gallagher Partnership Development Director Victoria Brock on the transition from sport to business and the similarities between the two environments.
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Victoria shares her insights and reflections from her 10-year playing for the England Red Roses and Harlequins and how businesses can learn from the world of sport.

  • the importance of resilience and determination
  • why trust is imperative in teams
  • looking after good mental health

Preview

Helen Yates: Hello and welcome to the Navigating Risks podcast. Today I'm joined by Victoria Brock, Partnership Development Director at Gallagher. A former professional rugby player. Victoria represented England with 75 caps. She participated in 5-6 nations Grand Slams and played in two World Cup finals.

I began by asking her how the resilience and determination to succeed in professional sport translates into the business setting. As a successful rugby player, you've experienced the highs and the lows of competitive sport. How do you think the resilience and determination that's required in sports translates to the business world?

Victoria Brock: So within my career, and I've just retired as a professional rugby player with the England Red Roses last year, I had a wonderful 10-year career with England and with Harlequins as well. I got 75 caps for my country. There were lots of highs and lows within that 10-year career as you would expect there to be. Within that 75 caps, I won five Six Nations grand slams, I managed to get selected to two World Cups, made two World Cup finals and I started in both of those World Cup finals. So those were some of the absolute peaks of those highs. But in the same breath, both of those World Cup Finals we lost and that's where you can get the devastating lows and that is elite professional sport for you all in a nutshell. So it takes a lot of resilience and determination both from an individual perspective to have that mental resilience and that performance edge to deal and overcome those lows, and then really embrace those highs as well. And I'm really fortunate that I come from a team environment where I can rely on my teammates around me, the support staff are around me as well to manage both of those highs and lows. There are so many crossovers into business that I see and that I've definitely found as I transition out of sports that although it may not seem, especially from a contact perspective and from a very kind of high paced, very kind of brutal sport, that you there wouldn't be so many crossovers to business, but actually if you look under the hood there and if you look at the behaviours, if you look at the attitudes and if you look at the feelings associated with those highs and lows, there are so many crossovers.

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Disclaimer

Gallagher is a risk management, insurance and HR/benefits consultancy and will be sharing their views in that capacity. This podcast is not intended to give legal or financial advice, and, accordingly, should not be relied upon for such. This should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and/or market practice in this area. In preparing this webinar we have relied on information sourced from third parties and we make no claims as to the completeness or accuracy of the information contained herein. You should not act upon information nor determine not to act, without first seeking specific specialist advice. Our advice to our clients is as an insurance broker and is provided subject to specific terms and conditions, the terms of which take precedence over any representations in this webinar. No third party to whom this is passed can rely on it. We and our officers, employees or agents shall not be responsible for any loss whatsoever arising from the recipient’s reliance upon any information we provide herein and exclude liability for the content to fullest extent permitted by law. Should you require advice about your specific arrangements or circumstances, please get in touch with Gallagher.

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