By Paddy Upton I once asked Dale Steyn something I’d wondered about for years. Was he always this confident? He said no, almost before I’d finished the question. What he described next was a persona, built deliberately years earlier, out of pieces borrowed from bowlers who’d scared him as a
By Paddy Upton Years ago, Gary Kirsten wrote me a reflection after a conversation in his garden overlooking Table Mountain. I found it again recently and read a line back to him: “I see my career as a constant battle against the odds and against my limitations.” He hadn’t looked
By Paddy Upton When researchers asked children why they played sport and asked them to rank their reasons, winning came in eighth in one study and eleventh in another. What came in first in both of them was fun. That finding is worth sitting with. Because most of the pressure
Paddy Upton, 70% of kids stop playing organised sport by the age of 13. One of the most common reasons given is simple: it’s no longer fun. And when asked what makes it not fun, the answer is two primary causes — parents and coaches. Most parents I meet are
Paddy Upton, AI is moving quickly into most areas of business and performance. For many, it brings excitement. For others, uncertainty. In most cases, it brings a sense that those who use it best will move ahead. There is some truth in that. But there’s another dynamic unfolding at the
Paddy Upton People sometimes speak about talent with a sense of admiration. Yet talent, by itself, is not an achievement. It’s something we’re born with — a fortunate starting point shaped by genetics and circumstance. In many cases it’s something to feel grateful for rather than something that deserves praise
Paddy Upton In many environments — sport, leadership, and life — there’s a quiet tension around the idea of being a “good person.” Some people interpret that as keeping everyone happy. Avoiding conflict. Adjusting their behaviour so that no one feels uncomfortable. Others move in the opposite direction, prioritising their
Paddy Upton I’m careful with the language I use in performance environments. I don’t tell an athlete, “I believe you’re good enough.”If anything, that can sound like encouragement without foundation. Instead, when the preparation supports it, I’ll say, “I know you’re good enough.” Knowing grows differently to belief. It doesn’t
Paddy Upton I often hear coaches and leaders say, “Believe in yourself.” It sounds supportive. It sounds encouraging. But I’m cautious of the word belief. Belief, by definition, is an idea that lacks factual evidence. It’s something we hold onto. And when new evidence arrives — a poor performance, a
By Paddy Upton At the start of each year, there’s a noticeable shift. Plans are made. Goals are written down. Declarations are shared. It feels productive. But I sometimes wonder whether the timing says more than the goals themselves. If direction only becomes urgent when the calendar changes, it may
Paddy Upton In a conversation I had some years ago with Harbhajan Singh, he articulated something simple that often gets misunderstood: Belief comes first. Action follows. Recognition comes later. Not the other way around. Most people agree with this in principle. Far fewer organise their behaviour around it. What stood
Paddy Upton There are moments in performance where the issue isn’t effort, preparation, or intent. From the outside, things may even look fine. Results are coming. Standards are being met. Momentum appears intact. And yet, internally, something feels heavier than it should. In the clip with Bryan Habana, what stands
Paddy Upton There’s a moment in most learning journeys where effort alone stops being enough. Up to that point, energy, intent, and repetition can carry us a long way. But eventually, the limits of self-reliance show up. Not because we aren’t working hard, but because we’re working in familiar loops,
Paddy Upton Hard work is one of those ideas that almost everyone agrees with, yet very few people relate to in the same way. We talk about it often, sometimes proudly, sometimes defensively. But the way hard work actually operates in real life is usually far quieter than the way
Paddy Upton One of the more surprising lessons I’ve learned in high-performance environments is that the quality of a message has far less influence than most leaders assume. We often prepare what we want to say, shape it carefully, and feel ready to deliver it. But the real determinant of
