This was the message from former pro-footballer Drewe Broughton to an audience of recruiters yesterday.

Hard work, sweat and courage lead to consistent results while attempting to control and overthink outcomes often have the opposite effect, Broughton said as he described the ups and downs of his pro-football career, which he left in debt and alone after a highly promising start.

Broughton delivered an emotional talk on unpacking fear to two Elite Leaders meetings and a Zoom session on Thursday [21 October] in London. “Being motivated by fear is very unhealthy,” he said.

Fear too often has been and is used to motivate recruiters, said Broughton. “I believe fear is the cause of everything… Fear is a thief.”

Using footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball player Michael Jordan as examples, Broughton explained that trusting instincts is important to success when the “hard work, sweat and courage” have been put into developing and practising the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities. In sport particularly, where fear of public humiliation is rampant, top performers “don’t allow invasions” of their headspace to invalidate their mindset of knowing they have done as much as possible to prepare, Broughton said.

Ronaldo, for instance, “doesn’t allow anyone to infiltrate his belief system”, Broughton said.

Broughton is a coach for individuals and businesses and the author of And Then What…? 

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