When we worked with Brendan Venter as director of rugby at Saracens, it became clear he was deeply dedicated. Logical, focused on the goal, analysing how every moving part and replacement interlinked to bring success. Winning was always uppermost.

But alongside winning, fan entertainment matters too. Rugby fans love flowing moves creating spectacular results over endless collapsed scrums. Combining winning with panache created stronger cohesion for Saracens, a model Brendan started and Mark McCall continued with great success. Bath Rugby is showing a similar evolution now.

Team sports like football show the power of grinding it out even when playing below expectations. Women’s football with Lucy Bronze as an outstanding leader demonstrates the power of talisman players within a group.

In cricket, Archer may not take as many wickets as Anderson, but his breakthroughs often come at crucial moments. Stokes, as captain, embodies never-say-die commitment that defines team identity.

Individual brilliance has always mattered in human history, but always within a team structure. Think of the great stone monuments built along Britain’s west coast, from Orkney to Ireland, Brittany, and the Basque regions. These megaliths exemplify the teamwork and vision that distinguished Homo sapiens from Neanderthals.

For us, advising businesses in sustainable marketing, looking at this deep spread of time and human behaviour is key. Money sustains salaries and facilities in sport, but never lose sight of the unique DNA at the heart of your club or team. Teams are greater than the sum of their parts. Great managers unlock individual brilliance within collective purpose.

Winning is important, but how you win is the ultimate cherry on the cake. Opposition can stop an individual, but it’s far harder to stop a cohesive team – especially when it acts as a conveyor belt of future talent.

The same goes for fans. Viewing them as a faceless mass ignores their individual power and loyalty. Teams should applaud their fans, building mutual respect and appreciation.

Sophisticated managers and coaches understand that the DNA of their fan base is as vital as that of their players. Communicating values of integrity, honesty, and doing the right thing sets teams as role models for the future, with far-reaching consequences.

Respect the team in totality, and you can move mountains. Our ancestors knew this as they raised tumuli, dolmens, and menhirs to honour natural gods who they believed influenced life’s success. That sense of collective purpose remains in human DNA today – we just need to tap into it.

If you do this, you will achieve big wins.

At IF, teamwork is in our DNA, powered by talented individuals.

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