Decision-Making Under Pressure: Lessons from Elite Sport for Business Leaders

In a constantly evolving professional environment, the ability to make fast and effective decisions is a critical asset. In elite sport—and particularly in Olympic sailing—every decision can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Drawing on my experience as an Olympic medalist, I have seen just how powerful decision-making under pressure is as a driver of collective performance. How can companies draw inspiration from athletes’ strategies to improve their own decision-making processes?

1 – Decision-Making Under Pressure: A Universal Challenge

Whether in a sailing final or during a company crisis, the challenge is the same: deciding quickly with imperfect information. Three fundamental pillars make this possible.

Anticipation and Preparation

An effective decision is built long before the critical moment.

In Olympic sailing, we spend hours analyzing:

• • • racecourses

    • weather conditions

    • currents

    • competitors’ strategies

This anticipation allows us to prepare scenarios and define an adaptable playbook.

In business, this translates into strategic monitoring, risk identification, and clear protocols. A well-prepared team reacts with greater clarity, even when everything accelerates.

Emotional Management

Under pressure, stress can paralyze—or become a powerful driver.

Athletes learn to channel this energy through proven methods:

• • • controlled breathing

    • visualization

    • mental routines

Neuroscience shows that under stress, the brain naturally focuses on threat. Strong emotional regulation, on the contrary, broadens perspective, unlocks creativity, and supports fast decision-making.

I address these techniques in my corporate keynotes, where I show how to turn pressure into a performance engine.

Trust in Your Team and in Your Sensations

In sailing, the helmsman must listen to the tactician, analyze sensations, and integrate complex data—in just a few seconds.

In the professional world:

• • • information sharing

    • mutual trust

    • recognition of expertise

become essential levers for deciding under uncertainty.

Intuition also plays a key role: it enables the rapid synthesis of multiple signals in order to act accurately and quickly.

2 – The Importance of Communication and Leadership

In Olympic sailing, a crew operates like a project team: each member has a precise role, but performance depends entirely on the fluidity of communication.

Here are the key takeaways for management.

An Effective Leader Provides Clear Direction While Remaining Open

A great skipper does not simply give orders: they inspire, adjust, integrate feedback, and mobilize collective intelligence.

Likewise, a high-performing manager sets a clear direction while giving teams the freedom to adapt strategy to real-world conditions.

A Culture of Trust Encourages Initiative

Fear of mistakes limits action.
On the contrary, a team that is allowed to experiment:

• • • makes decisions faster

    • is more creative

    • adapts more easily

Turning risk-taking into opportunity becomes essential.

Clear and Concise Communication

Under pressure, every second counts.

In sport as in business, poorly formulated or delayed information can lead to wrong decisions. Working on clarity, conciseness, and timing is a powerful lever for collective efficiency.

3 – How Can You Train to Make Better Decisions Under Pressure?

Fast and effective decision-making is not innate: it is learned, structured, and repeated.

Here are three levers inspired by elite sport.

Simulating Crisis Situations

In my immersive workshops, I place teams in scenarios similar to a regatta: unpredictability, urgency, contradictory information.

These exercises allow teams to:

• • • test mental resilience

    • strengthen team spirit

    • accelerate decision-making processes

In companies, regularly organizing crisis simulations strengthens trust and coordination.

Analyzing and Using Feedback

In sailing, every race is filmed, analyzed, and debriefed.
In business, setting up structured feedback after major projects makes it possible to:

• • • strengthen decision-making reflexes

    • identify areas for improvement

    • better manage pressure

Feedback is the fuel of progress.

Trusting Your Intuition

The best decisions are often a blend of analysis and intuition.
This intuition develops through:

• • • experience

    • repetition

    • observation

    • active listening to the environment

Encouraging teams to rely on their instinct—and to confront it collectively—is a powerful performance lever.

These principles are at the heart of my keynotes, immersive workshops, and executive coaching, which I tailor to the specific challenges of each team.

Conclusion

Making decisions under pressure is a core skill—both in sport and in business. By cultivating anticipation, emotional management, and effective communication, teams transform pressure into an accelerator of collective performance.

Would you like to experience these principles within your company?

I offer keynote talks and immersive workshops to help teams make effective decisions in complex environments.

👉 Contact me to learn more!