Episode Six: From Locker Room to Boardroom – Using Insights Discovery to Build Winning Teams
September 10, 2025
In team sports, victory is rarely the result of individual brilliance alone. It’s the culmination of the right players in the right roles working well together towards a common goal. Add some good coaching to the mix to unlock the potential of each player and you have a winning formula. The same is true with workplace teams and that’s where Insights Discovery becomes a game-changer.
Welcome to part six in our Insights Discovery series where we look at how to use Insights Discovery to build self-awareness; increase our understanding of others and develop the skills to adapt our interactions for greater success. In this episode, we take three lessons from the sporting world that can help us build winning teams in the workplace.
Lesson One: Play to Strengths
Successful sports teams don’t win on a regular basis because they have a squad full of strikers. They win because they have strength in depth. They build a team that puts the right players in the right roles, not just based on talent but by temperament, instinct and preference.
Workplace teams are no different. Like a coach placing players in their optimal position, good leaders and managers assign roles and responsibilities that best align with the behavioural strengths and preferences of their team members. As a result, winning becomes more likely.
The graphic below shows strengths you might typically associate with each of the Insights Discovery colour energies (Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green and Cool Blue):
Insights Discovery Colour Energy
Common Strengths
Fiery Red
(Assertive, Bold, Results-Focused)
Outcome focused. Decision taker. Action-driven. Challenges complacency. Clear communicator. Strong influencer. Maintains momentum.
Sunshine Yellow
(Enthusiastic, Sociable, Persuasive)
High energy. Collaborative. Positive mindset. Innovative. Relationship builder. Networker. Story teller. Team motivator.
Earth Green
(Supportive, Caring, Harmonious)
Listener. Mediator. Teacher. Team cohesion. Stability. Harmony. Empathy. Strong moral compass. Culture custodian. Quiet determination.
Cool Blue
(Analytical, Precise, Cautious)
Analytical thinking. Rigour and accuracy. Quality standards. Robust systems and processes. Logic and objectivity. Risk management. Problem solving.
As managers and leaders responsible for team performance, we can gain considerable competitive advantage by fully understanding the teams we have; matching roles and tasks to personal strengths and preference and recruiting future stars to strengthen, fill gaps and meet emerging needs.
Lesson Two: Feedback is Fuel
Tactical coaching; halftime team talks; video replays… Feedback in sports is constant, immediate and constructive. It brings rapid and lasting improvements that can make the difference between winning and losing.
Feedback in the workplace can deliver the same benefits. Just like great sports coaches, effective leaders and managers recognise that any single approach to feedback won’t yield the best results with every player. Instead, they tailor their approach to get the best results for each individual and Insights Discovery is a tool that can really help. The graphic below provides suggestions on how best to frame feedback based on each of the four Insights Discovery colour energies (Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green and Cool Blue):
Colour Energy
Feedback Approach
Fiery Red Energy
Assertive – Results-Oriented – Direct
Frame in terms of improvement. Direct, confident and concise delivery. Focus on outcomes. Set clear goals.
Sunshine Yellow Energy
Energetic – Social – Enthusiastic
Include positive reinforcement. Link to recognition. Conversational dialogue. Future focus. Relatable examples and stories.
Earth Green Energy
Caring – Supportive – Relational
Empathic, calm and patient delivery. Frame around values. Be gentle but honest. Allow space and time for reflection.
Cool Blue Energy
Analytical – Precise – Cautious
Focus on facts and evidence. Be specific and objective. Be prepared. Ensure a structured and logical delivery. Allow time to process and ask questions.
Knowing someone’s preferred communication style helps tailor how feedback is given and received. What motivates one person may demotivate another. Great teams know this instinctively — or learn it intentionally. Either way, feedback done well, is the breakfast of champions!
Lesson Three: Play as Team
I’ve often heard under-performing sports teams described as a team of ‘great individuals’. The talent is there but without unity, they fall short of more cohesive teams that might even have less individual talent. The same can often be seen in workplace teams. So here are five ways you can use Insights Discovery to build that all important team spirit that wins games.
Concept
Sports Application
Insights Discovery Workplace Application
Common language
Pre-agreed signals mean better decision making and faster plays.
The shared common language of colour builds understanding and enhances interactions.
Play to strengths
Trusted experts in each position that can execute the game plan.
Value and leverage difference across the team to deliver goals faster.
Cohesion
Players understanding each position on the pitch builds empathy and cohesion.
The ability to adapt and connect for more successful interactions with internal and external stakeholders.
Awareness
Player awareness leads to better anticipation and decision making.
Self-awareness can stop strengths overplaying to weaknesses in certain situations.
Resilience
The ability to turn a losing position into a win.
Deeper self-awareness and emotional intelligence mean greater self-control, stress management and adaptability.
The Final Whistle!
Sports teams and business teams have many parallels. The best sports coaches don’t just select talent, they select the right talent, develop it to its potential and unite it in ways that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Borrowing from the best of the sporting world and applying those concepts to the workplace, can transition teams from a group of professionals into serial trophy winners! So if you want to build a high-performing team with the chemistry of a championship squad, start by discovering your team’s colour energies and see what’s possible when everyone plays to their strengths.
To learn more, visit our dedicated Insights Discovery web page.
See you next time.
