Employee Benefits Live 2025: In an opening keynote address titled ‘Leading with resilience: Finding purpose and driving performance’, Jill Scott MBE, former England footballer and broadcaster, discussed the importance of finding one’s own formula for success and using that to drive performance.
Addressing delegates at ExCel London, on the first day of Employee Benefits Live 2025, Scott spoke about how sport has helped her in terms of resilience, motivation and leadership. She explained how not everyone will reach their goals in the same way and why it can be useful for everyone to be different in the way they approach targets.
“Be accountable for your performance and respect that people are different. Try not to judge others and trust that people in teams will do the right thing. It also helps to constantly reassess what you do to be the best version of yourself,” she said.
Scott cited the power of sport as being critical to building a team culture, noting that this can sometimes take time and it is important to be open to new ideas. She suggested steering away from taking people who consistently do well in a team for granted, recommending employers and managers offer praise and remember to check in with team members. This can help to create environments where people can thrive.
“Unless you see something, it’s hard to believe that you can do it. Sport can give people tools for life, allowing you to learn about winning, losing and your own mental health. It’s also important to celebrate achieving the small wins, as this helps with motivation for bigger targets,” she said.
When coping with setbacks, it can help to regroup afterwards to see what went wrong, and also what actually did go well, Scott explained. She said that with every loss and every no, people get closer to a win and a yes, which is all part of the process and journey.
“I felt like I was a leader even without the captain’s arm band. It’s important for leaders to be genuine. The best leaders surround themselves with people who bring skills to the team that they can’t do. This is a strength, not a weakness,” she concluded.
