Vineeta Mittal’s Post

Two years at Sport England! Thought I'd do a reflective exercise I've used a lot recently called the Four L's but it turns out I've Loved, Loathed, Learnt from and Long for the same thing - The challenge. Before joining, I longed for the challenge of delivering truly transformative pieces of work. I can honestly say I've loved doing this. The caveat being is that love is the overall feeling whilst the process brings up a range of emotions. I've heard the likes of transformation and collaboration being referred to as a contact sport and I couldn't agree more. But playing a contact sport for 36 hours a week can be physically and mentally hard for someone who doesn’t believe in the 'pick your battles' approach. I've loathed how long it can take to be able to see progress. This isn't like delivering sports programmes - the big wins aren't as regular and the small wins come in the form of business case approvals or successes your funded partners have achieved. This really challenges your motivation to keep fighting the fight. Finally, I've learnt that great listening skills are more important than speaking skills. For those that know me will know this can be a challenge sometimes, but something I am conscious of and am striving to improve. Whilst also being clear and concise when I do speak. I cannot believe it has been two years already and I am looking forward to the next two.

Reaching the crux, she took a deep breath and made a dynamic move to the next hold, feeling the pump in her forearms. With a solid heel hook and careful smearing on the slab, she managed to maintain her balance. Topping out, the rush of adrenaline was evident as she clipped the anchor and surveyed the route she had just conquered. Rock climbing is not just an exhilarating sport; it’s a testament to strategy, resilience, and precision. Much like in marketing and business, each move in climbing requires careful planning, adaptability, and a keen sense of timing. Every ascent is a journey, mirroring the challenges we face in the corporate world where success is achieved by overcoming obstacles and navigating uncertainties. Recently, the US athletes faced a significant setback at the World Cup in Briançon, unable to compete in the Lead category due to a failure to confirm their attendance. This incident, while heartbreaking, underscores the importance of meticulous planning and communication—key tenets in both sports and business. The longer-term implications of this missed opportunity are yet to be fully understood, but such experiences remind us of the critical nature of preparation and responsiveness. I have cheered for, encouraged, and appreciated photographing some of these athletes for close to 10 years. It is heartbreaking to see such a dedicated team face this setback. I want to take this opportunity to celebrate these athletes for their hard work, dedication, and determination. USA Climbing 🇺🇸 Lead Team, men: Nathan Sato, Declan Osgood, and Hugo Hoyer, and women: Alyssa Keanini, Analise Van Hoang, Olivia Ma, Melina Costanza, and Adriene Akiko Clark. Despite the heartache and challenges, we must press on with determination and learn from these experiences. As Jess Sato said, encouraging the team and her son, Nathan, “Onward.” ⁉️As athletes, leaders, and professionals, how can we ensure that we learn from these setbacks and emerge stronger, both in sports and in our professional lives? Link to more climbing photos: 📸 https://lnkd.in/em6Gpf_8 Link to my instagram and photos: 📸 https://lnkd.in/gi_c6Bn5 #RockClimbing #SportsStrategy #LeadershipLessons #AthleteInspiration #MarketingStrategy #OvercomingChallenges #TeamUSA #Climbing #StayCurious

You are not what you do! For many elite athletes, stepping away from the game means losing a huge part of who you are. The sense of purpose and achievement that came with competing can vanish overnight, leaving many to wonder… ‘’What’s next?” “Who am I?” The Betway 12th Man Programme was designed for exactly this moment. The aim is to equip and empower former sports professionals from a variety of sporting codes with the necessary skills and knowledge to aid them in creating their own career 2.0 in Sport or Business. 💼 During my presentation of “Becoming Unbreakable - Mental Resilience for Transitioning athletes”, I shared my inspirational journey and introduced the Become Unbreakable 5-Step Process. We explored key questions: 🏁 How do you build a new identity? 🎯 How do you use the skills you’ve mastered in sports in a new field? 🤝 How do you reframe your experiences and challenges to shift your perspective so that you are able to build resilience and adaptability in your new career 2.0? The change from elite sports to a new career isn’t easy. It's about learning how to transfer the skills you learnt in your sporting career and combine them with an added skillset for your career 2.0. Keep pushing, stay resilient, and become unbreakable. 💪✨ How do you stay resilient and adapt in your career? Drop your thoughts below. 👇 Thank you Ashley Kotzin, Seth Pearson & Forwardzone team for this opportunity!!

🏆 Embracing the Spirit of Competition 🏆 Today, my kids are gearing up to compete in an Olympics event at their school. Reflecting on their participation in the same event last year, it's fascinating to observe their completely different approaches to competition. My son, with his natural athleticism and fiercely competitive spirit, won several races, showcasing his drive to win. Conversely, my daughter approached her events with a different kind of zeal, literally dancing and skipping through her competitions and spreading joy and smiles with every step. As they set off this morning, I shared some advice advice that I think is broadly applicable in sports, life, and career: 1️⃣ *Mindset is Key:* Whether on the field or in life, success often hinges on the way we perceive challenges. A winning attitude is rooted in self-belief and a positive mindset. 2️⃣ *Don't be afraid to unleash your inner beast:* There's a time to be gentle and a time to be fierce. When you step onto the field, give it everything you've got. 3️⃣ *Find the balance between fun and focus:* Have fun, but maintaining focus is crucial for achieving goals. Try to find joy in the effort. I eagerly await the outcomes of today's events, hopeful that my advice will get us some wins. Here's to celebrating the positive aspects of competition and the lessons we learn along the way.

Redefining Success Our daughter, recently competed in the Queensland school track and field state championships, earning a gold and silver medal. However, her true success goes far beyond these results. As part of reflecting where she’s come from in the last year I was acutely aware of on how we often we measure success by outcomes—KPIs, medals, titles, and personal bests. While our daughters achievements are significant, they alone don’t tell the full story. Instead, success was about overcoming adversity. In the semi-finals, our girl made a significant error but still pushed through to secure a spot in the final. She then had to pull her self out of the disappointment to compete in another event. Her resilience and determination in the face of this learning is what I truly define as success; rising after disappointment. Gathering her strength she excelled in the next event illustrating her ability to bounce back and perform under pressure is a testament to her character. Success was her personal growth. Our daughter also ran a personal best in the heats, the quickest of the whole championships for her age, showcasing her continuous improvement and dedication. It’s not just about holding the fastest time in Queensland; it’s about striving to be better than she was yesterday. Quantitative measures like medals and performances are important, but they don’t communicate the full picture. Qualitative aspects—resilience, determination, and personal growth—add depth and soul to the data. They highlight what truly matters and provide a more holistic view of success. Let’s challenge the traditional narratives around success and start valuing the qualitative ways of measuring what really matters. As we do this, check out the incredibly infectious smile of pure pride and elation! #Success #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #TrackAndField #data #qualatative #souldata

🥇 The values celebrated at this year’s Olympics—excellence, respect, and friendship—are what we also have seen guiding athletes like now-retired Michael Phelps, who devoted an average of five to six hours a day in the pool and won 28 gold medals over his career. 💪 These values, strengthened by a strong message of unity, extend beyond sport and have valuable applications in marketing. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eu-9QTW4 PS. If haven't checked out our newsletter, subscribe here to get the next issue! → https://lnkd.in/gRKcxtA5

For the longest time, I was paralysed by the need to craft the perfect post authentic, innovative, and impactful. Ironically, striving for perfection held me back from posting at all. I wanted every word to be perfect, every insight groundbreaking. The result? Silence. No progress. No growth. Then, I came across the story of Dave Brailsford and the British Cycling Team (Team Sky). They achieved unprecedented success through the concept of marginal gains making small, incremental improvements in everything they did. From tweaking bike seats to testing the best pillow for sleep, no detail was too small. The results? Five Tour de France victories in six years and a dominating performance in the Olympics. Brailsford’s approach wasn’t about overnight success, it was about continuous progress, 1% at a time, and that really resonated with me. I shifted my focus away from perfection and towards progress. Sure, not every post gains traction, but I’m showing up consistently, experimenting with ideas, and learning what works (and what doesn’t!). The most rewarding part? This journey has reignited my creativity and given me a space to share my thoughts on sectors, trends and everything in between. I’m learning by doing improving by 1% with every post. Check back in a year’s time, and we’ll see where this journey has taken me!

I didn’t author this post where it starts with “what if”…. What I will add - as a Cross Country mom, I have witnessed many of these moments which we can use as leadership opportunities both personally and professionally. Each time I witness a runner helping an exhausted runner across the finish line Each time I hear a runner from an opposing team say “good run, I was trying to pace with you the entire race” The last runner NEVER crosses the finish line without a crowd cheering them on The genuine hugs and high fives when the runners cross the line, regardless of their time or placement. It’s a beautiful sport - I get tears in my eyes seeing the excitement and satisfaction as runners cross that line. Knowing they poured their heart into running their best race. Trust, Encourage, Respect, Believe… What if we lived life like we were all in a cross country meet? What if we watched other people and recognized that we're all just trying to get across the finish line? What if we understood that some people are running as hard as they can but battling illnesses, invisible injuries, and internal struggles? Every step is hard, but they're trying not to quit. What if we cheered for everyone even if they weren't on our team? What if we realized just finishing something, no matter how long it took us or how messy it seemed, was enough? In fact, it was a win. What if we used every race as an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and how we could use each other for support, inspiration, and help to reach our goals? What if we cheered loud for the winner, but even louder for the one who comes in after because they accomplished something great, too? In a world that tells us it's about me, me, me, what if we started living to support everyone brave enough to be in the race? What if we started treating our lives like we were all in the same cross country meet? What a beautiful world that would be. Love hard.

3 big lessons I learned as an Ohio State fan, watching our rival win the championship. 1. Empathy is best served hot: Seeing the people around me happy is something I enjoy. Growing up in Michigan as a Buckeye is unique, but it was always easy. For most of my life, we dominated Michigan, and I got to feel great. It didn't matter that most of my friends were always disappointed because I was happy. But now, I see the opposite. In real-time, I get to see those same friends experience joy over something I had gotten to experience multiple times: my team winning the championship. Sports isn't a life-or-death thing, but they impact us in bigger ways than we’d like to admit. So, as I've grown in my personal development, I've reached a higher level of empathy. This has allowed me to feel joy for people I care about, even if it does not directly benefit me. That’s the feeling I have right now, and I’m grateful for it. 2. What goes around comes around: how you act during times of success will be reflected during times of defeat. As a fan, I avoided rubbing in victories over my rivals in my friend's faces. Much to my pleasant surprise, I’ve not received any of that energy this year either. Similarly, the character you display when you have the upper hand in life or business will come around when you are in a less favorable position. That energy will always come back. Positive or negative. 3. Life, business, and sports are about highs and lows: Nothing stays the same. For a long period, my team was always one of the best. But things don't stay the same. Teams go through prime years as well as rebuild years. This is the same for business and life. You’ll have great seasons, and others will be less fruitful. Remembering this fact can help you, whether in a championship year or not. Everything can change. Keep working. What life lessons have you learned from sports as an athlete or fan?? #michigan #selfdevelopment #goblue #selfimprovement

WOW- what an exciting time to be a sports fan! Or at least- we can all appreciate the talent, drive, and passion these athletes and coaches have, to compete AND win at the highest level💪🏼. With multiple college and professional championships going on this summer- including the Olympics (starting next month)-it had me thinking… How can we use that mindset in our own careers to be and stay at the top of our game? “𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝑶𝒍𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. Check out what other former elite athletes share as valuable lessons, so they can keep winning in their career 🏅. -𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 -𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 -𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 -𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟 -𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 Link for article included in the comment below👇🏼 #CareerSuccess #EliteMindset #CareerExcellence