Performance Under Pressure: What the 2026 Winter Olympics Can Teach the BD Community

With the eyes of the world on the slopes of Milano Cortina for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the concept of “performance under pressure” takes on a whole new meaning. For the BD100 community, these next two weeks offer more than just a sporting spectacle to watch during work from home days; they provide a masterclass in the very traits that define elite business development: resilience, preparation, and the ability to deliver when the stakes are highest.

This connection isn’t coincidental or us just jumping on a sporting moment for content. 

At last year’s BD100 Awards, we were joined by Victoria Gosling OBE, CEO of GB Snowsport for a master-class in high-performance, where themes from the documentary ‘She Who Dares’ were discussed. 

As her team enters the Olympic arena later today, those lessons and hours of practice are soon to be tested on the world’s biggest stage. Here are five of those lessons from the evening. 

1. Accept. Align. Accelerate.

Not everything is in your control, but your response always is. Accept the context of the market or the pitch. Align your team around a singular vision. Accelerate your decisions, especially when uncertainty clouds the path.

2. Expect the Unexpected.

In elite sport and in business, plans fail. People surprise you. Opportunities often emerge from the rubble of a setback. Those who stay nimble and open-minded are the ones who thrive.

3. Resilience is Built in the Dark.

Setbacks aren’t shameful – they’re the very foundations from which high-performance cultures grow. What matters is the response to those experiences where things don’t go to plan. High performance is forged in the moments no one sees.

4. Put the Humans First.

Whether in sport or business, sustainable success comes from nurturing your people, something Vicky has made a focus of in her time at GB Snowsport. By providing your athletes, clients, and teams with the tools, care, and belief they need, you create the environment required to perform.

5. Face “Impossible” with an Unbreakable Spirit.

This phrase applies to every agency fighting for growth this year, holding teams together, and pushing creative boundaries in today’s everchanging market. It’s about the quiet, relentless work that happens before the world sees the result.

Submissions are still open for the Business Development Team of the Year and the New Business Win of the Year awards.