In September we released our latest Patterns of Play report — a look at how high-performing teams really operate in fast, fluid environments where pressure and change are constants, not exceptions.
One theme cut through the data and the stories: High performance isn’t built in the big moments — it’s built long before them.
To explore this, we hosted a breakfast event with James Kerr, author of Legacy, whose work with the All Blacks remains one of the clearest examples of how identity and belonging drive performance.
This session created the foundation for the second half of the series — our webinar with Dr Ian Mitchell (Newcastle United), Dr Mike Rotheram, and Dr Philippa McGregor — where we explored how teams turn these foundations into performance under pressure.
This first blog focuses on the deep cultural roots behind high-performing teams.
1. Culture Lives in What You Do, Not What You Print.
Great teams don’t talk culture. They signal it.
- The All Blacks’ haka is not a performance. It’s a living expression of Whakapapa — honouring those who came before, inspiring those who come after. It makes identity tangible.
- England Cricket’s cap presentations don’t explain belonging — they create it, connecting players emotionally to the team’s story and history.
This reflects a core finding in the report: culture must be bottled — rituals, language, behaviours — so identity survives turnover, pressure, and change. Identity isn’t administrative. It’s emotional — and people commit to what they can feel.
2. Build Connection Early. Build Performance Faster.
High-performing teams don’t wait for belonging to emerge. They design it. From shared language to symbolic rituals, they build connection early so people can contribute early. Belonging isn’t a soft concept.
The Patterns of Play report highlights why this matters:
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Employees who feel they belong show a 56% jump in performance and 50% lower turnover risk.
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Strong onboarding improves retention by 82% and productivity by 70%.
This mirrors the All Blacks’ principle of “connection before direction.” Great teams connect people early so they can contribute early.
3. Challenge Isn't Conflict - It's Contribution
In elite environments, silence is far more dangerous than dissent. Teams that perform at the top don’t avoid challenge.
The All Blacks embed challenge through shared behavioural norms — clarity on what sits “above the line” and “below the line.”
They expect it. Invite it. Protect it. This mirrors data from the report showing that teams with clear behavioural norms show:
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30% higher performance
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71% higher satisfaction
Challenge works when it’s a) invited, b) expected and c) protected by leaders.
Challenge strengthens teams — but only in environments where belonging is already strong.
4. Drift Starts Quiet & Spreads Fast
Drift rarely announces itself. It whispers.
The Patterns of Play report describes drift as one of the most dangerous forces in teams:
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A minute late becomes ten
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A softened standard becomes the norm
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A missed conversation becomes disconnect
Elite teams:
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Notice micro-behaviours early
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Treat drift as data, not drama
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Use peer leadership groups to self-correct
This is how the All Blacks maintain the highest win rate in sporting history — through daily discipline, not occasional intensity.
5. Leadership Isn’t a Role. It’s a Responsibility Shared.
The All Blacks famously sweep their own sheds — a symbolic act that reinforces humility, ownership, and peer-led standards. Teams with shared leadership are better able to:
- Guard standards
- Reinforce belonging
- Protect identity
- Catch drift before it spreads
Culture fails when it relies on hierarchy. Culture thrives when everyone becomes a guardian of the standard.
Patterns of Play in The Premier League
This breakfast session laid the foundation: identity, belonging, behavioural standards, and self-correcting teams.
Part 2 of our blog series — shaped by our webinar with Dr Ian Mitchell, Dr Mike Rotheram, and Dr Philippa McGregor — builds directly on this, showing how teams turn those foundations into performance through pressure and constant change.