John Neal
July 22, 2026
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Watching the 2026 football World Cup has reinforced a question that has occupied my thinking for some time.
Has the world evolved faster than our approach to leadership?
It is “just” a game of football, but the results matter so much that in this tournament alone we’ve seen riots after losses, hours of analysis, companies paying millions for advertising space, teams facing disciplinary action, and Presidential phone calls. I even nearly (but not quite) sang an Oasis song out loud.
In sport and in business, we now have a surplus of instant information, accelerated decision-making, and increased pressure to get results. And amid these changes, a new generation expects more than direction. They expect to work in environments where they can apply their talents, have space to think, be valued, and succeed together doing something that matters to them and their community.
Every match in this tournament has reminded us that the defining moments belong to the people closest to the problem. We watch players step forward to take decisive penalties, captains gather teammates after setbacks, and experienced performers adapt when the game changes. Those moments unfold in seconds, often in front of 80,000 passionate supporters.
By that stage, the coach's voice has little influence and can’t even be heard – and the environment that has been created over weeks and months becomes the greatest influence on performance.
What the research shows us
For more than 30 years, I have had the privilege of working at the intersection of sport and business with Hult Ashridge Executive Education. Working closely with elite sporting organizations, we have explored what business can learn from sport and, equally importantly, what sport can learn from business.
My conversations with leaders from Olympic programs, Premier League football, England men's and women's rugby, Ferrari's Formula One pit crew and many other elite organizations have revealed one consistent theme. Sustainable performance is rarely created by technical expertise alone. It grows from the quality of the environment in which people work, learn and perform together.
My most recent research into the professional era of the British & Irish Lions rugby team has reinforced that belief. Few teams have less time to prepare or face greater expectations. They must unite four proud rugby nations, with different cultures and playing approaches, and build clarity, confidence and trust quickly in order to perform against the world's best and away from home. That’s a really tough challenge.
Once the game begins, the defining decisions belong to the players. The coach has already made their greatest contribution by curating the environment.
The Lions’ ambition extends beyond winning. They seek to strengthen the values of the game, inspire supporters, contribute to society within the host nation and to further develop a Lions' legacy for others who follow. Those aspirations feel remarkably similar to the challenges facing modern organizations.
Listening to Lions' coaches and players, I became increasingly interested in the contribution of the coach once the game begins. The defining decisions belong to the players. The coach has already made their greatest contribution by curating the environment in which those players can think clearly, trust one another, and adapt together.
The curation question
The dictionary defines “leadership” as the action of leading a group of people or an organization. “Curation” is the process of selecting, organizing and presenting what is valuable, relevant and meaningful.
My question is whether leadership is evolving toward curation. Leaders still provide vision, challenge and accountability, yet their lasting contribution increasingly lies in the environment they create… or curate.
Carefully curated environments consistently provide people with a better opportunity to succeed under pressure. Technical and tactical preparation and operational excellence all matter, and their impact is strengthened by trust, shared understanding and confidence. Increasingly I have come to believe that the environment itself becomes a competitive advantage.
Our research with the Lions has shown that curation of a high-performance environment develops through four deceptively simple questions. They are conversations rather than exercises. They are owned by everyone rather than delivered by the leader (the most valuable insights often emerge when curious people challenge one another's thinking). And together, they prepare people for the moments that matter most.
Who do you think we are?
This question establishes identity. It invites people to discuss the beliefs, values and behaviors they want to become known for. Identity grows through conversation until it becomes visible in everyday behavior.
Who are we really?
i.e. who are we when we’re under pressure? This question is fundamental. Pressure reveals habits, relationships and behaviors. We cannot become who we need to be under pressure until we understand who we really are. That understanding creates choice and enables teams and individuals to decide how they intend to respond when pressure arrives.
Where do we want to go?
Shared purpose provides direction when uncertainty increases. It gives meaning to effort, resilience during setbacks, and a sense of legacy beyond the immediate result.
What's our plan?
The emphasis is on “our”. The plan belongs to the players because they own the moments that matter. It is built around strengths, simple enough to remember under pressure, and flexible enough to adapt as circumstances change. Every experienced coach understands that games evolve. Shared understanding gives teams the confidence to evolve with them.
The research also highlights an observation which has stayed with me throughout my career. Talented people are selected because of their strengths, yet pressure often shifts attention toward avoiding mistakes.
I often picture a cliff path: one route sits comfortably back from the edge; another follows the cliff itself, demanding confidence, awareness and trust while offering the most spectacular view. High performance asks us to trust our preparation and bring our strengths to the challenge in front of us.
Have you got The Look?
Every World Cup showcases extraordinary talent. Outstanding individuals can change a game in an instant. The coach's responsibility is to curate an environment in which that talent flourishes in service of the team. Teams enable talent to shine. Curation gives talented people the confidence to express their strengths in service of the team. That shared confidence becomes decisive when margins are small.
A star team will always outperform a team of stars under pressure.
Imagine an environment which has been curated to allow all the stars to shine in their own way at the right time… that could light up a universe, let alone a sports event or a board meeting.
When identity is shared, pressure is understood, purpose is clear and the plan is owned by the team members, something powerful emerges. Players stop searching for direction and start looking at one another. I call that The Look. It is the silent confidence that says, “We've got this.” The Look is faster than instruction because it has been carefully curated over time.
"The Look": What sets elite teams apart? – John Neal at TEDxHultAshridge
The implications extend far beyond sport. Organizations everywhere are asking people closest to customers, patients, students, citizens and technology to make decisions in real time and under pressure. Those decisions are strengthened when people understand who they are, who they need to be under pressure, where they are heading, and how they will adapt together.
I believe this represents an important evolution in leadership. The opportunity is to devote greater attention to curating environments where talented people consistently succeed under pressure. This means shifting leadership perspective and perception away from creating and directing to curating and co-designing.
From being “in charge” to being “charged” with the curation of a high-performance culture for others.
The reward is measured not only in results but in the quality of decisions, relationships, culture and legacy that remain long after the moment has passed.
If you want to start your journey towards curation, you might start by considering how would you answer these four questions:
Who do I think I am?
Who am I really under pressure?
Where do I want to go?
What’s my plan?
Straightforward questions, which, with clear answers and appropriate actions, can guide you and your team to success.
What does it mean for you?
At Hult Ashridge we bring together curious leaders from sport and business who enjoy exploring performance nuances that create sustainable competitive advantage.
If these ideas resonate with you, we would be delighted to continue the conversation.
Meet the expert
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John Neal
Professor of Practice at Hult International Business School
John is a Professor of Practice at Hult International Business School and performance coach who works with leaders and their teams to achieve remarkable results under intense pressure. He is an exercise physiologist, performance psychologist and qualified executive and performance coach.
He works across three industries: business, sport and the military. In business he consults with large global corporates including Coke, Swarovski, Munich Re, Sage, Erste Bank.
In the sports world, John has crafted an extensive and successful career working globally as a performance coach preparing international and national leaders, coaches and their teams for 13 World Cups, 9 Olympic games, 3 European Rugby Championships, The Football Premier league, Lacrosse, British Horseracing, F1, the BOA and UKSport.
In the military he works for the Defence Leadership Academy at Shrivenham, NATO and with the RAF, British Army and Navy, the British and Scottish Police services, GCHQ and the Abu Dhabi Police. John is also MD of Neal Training – Corporate Health Management. He was Wellbeing Advisor to the Royal Household for seven years.
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