Ollie Phillips: How to create world class teams
Wed Feb 04 2026
What separates a good team from a world-class one.
My guest today has lived that question at the highest levels. Ollie Phillips captained England in rugby sevens, rowed across oceans, and now runs Optimist Performance, helping teams move from great to world class.
We explore why most organisations spend 95% of their time playing the game and only 5% practising the hard skills of leadership and teamship. Ollie reveals how elite teams build unshakeable trust, why practising discomfort before big moments matters, and how momentum can be the most contagious force in any environment.
You'll hear about Ollie’s transition from being the best in the world to starting again as a beginner, and how infectious energy combined with clarity of purpose creates unstoppable teams.
If you're leading a team right now, this conversation will give you fresh tools to unlock world-class performance.
“We spent 95% of our time practising for 5% of the delivery” — Ollie Phillips
You’ll hear about
Why practising discomfort builds world-class performance capabilityCreating communities through shared experiencesTrust as the foundation of high-performing teamsCommunication that considers how messages need to be heardRed flags in team environments and cultures The difference between never losing and loving winningWhy 95% of time goes to playing versus practisingRecognising progress without comparing yourself to othersHow momentum multiplies in both directionsAbout Ollie:
Ollie's journey has taken him from international rugby pitches to the boardrooms of global businesses, across oceans, over mountain peaks, and into some of the toughest environments on Earth. What unites it all? A lifelong obsession with unlocking performance — in himself, and in others.
He captained England Rugby 7s, was named World 7s Player of the Year, and coached Wales Women and China’s Olympic programme. He's swum the English Channel, circumnavigated the globe, stood at the North Pole, and holds four world records for feats of endurance and teamwork in some of the planet’s most extreme locations.
Alongside that, he's held senior leadership roles at PwC, advising global businesses on culture, strategy, and transformation. He now sits on boards across private equity, sport, and exploration, and holds an Executive MBA from Cambridge.
Resources:
Profile: https://shorturl.at/aY7Ie
Optimist Performance: https://shorturl.at/9upbU
Insights: https://shorturl.at/k7P4d
My resources:
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)
Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation
For more details about me:
● Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals
● About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy
● Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)
More
What separates a good team from a world-class one. My guest today has lived that question at the highest levels. Ollie Phillips captained England in rugby sevens, rowed across oceans, and now runs Optimist Performance, helping teams move from great to world class. We explore why most organisations spend 95% of their time playing the game and only 5% practising the hard skills of leadership and teamship. Ollie reveals how elite teams build unshakeable trust, why practising discomfort before big moments matters, and how momentum can be the most contagious force in any environment. You'll hear about Ollie’s transition from being the best in the world to starting again as a beginner, and how infectious energy combined with clarity of purpose creates unstoppable teams. If you're leading a team right now, this conversation will give you fresh tools to unlock world-class performance. “We spent 95% of our time practising for 5% of the delivery” — Ollie Phillips You’ll hear about Why practising discomfort builds world-class performance capabilityCreating communities through shared experiencesTrust as the foundation of high-performing teamsCommunication that considers how messages need to be heardRed flags in team environments and cultures The difference between never losing and loving winningWhy 95% of time goes to playing versus practisingRecognising progress without comparing yourself to othersHow momentum multiplies in both directionsAbout Ollie: Ollie's journey has taken him from international rugby pitches to the boardrooms of global businesses, across oceans, over mountain peaks, and into some of the toughest environments on Earth. What unites it all? A lifelong obsession with unlocking performance — in himself, and in others. He captained England Rugby 7s, was named World 7s Player of the Year, and coached Wales Women and China’s Olympic programme. He's swum the English Channel, circumnavigated the globe, stood at the North Pole, and holds four world records for feats of endurance and teamwork in some of the planet’s most extreme locations. Alongside that, he's held senior leadership roles at PwC, advising global businesses on culture, strategy, and transformation. He now sits on boards across private equity, sport, and exploration, and holds an Executive MBA from Cambridge. Resources: Profile: https://shorturl.at/aY7Ie Optimist Performance: https://shorturl.at/9upbU Insights: https://shorturl.at/k7P4d My resources: Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ) Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj) Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation For more details about me: ● Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals ● About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy ● Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds) ● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP) ● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)