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When we kicked off our Miles Ahead webinar with Gordon Crawford, performance director at Triathlon Ireland, we weren’t interested in just swapping sports metaphors. We wanted something more meaningful - a fresh way to rethink how finance teams approach performance, resilience and progress.
Finance professionals face complex challenges and high expectations every day, often with as much pressure and intensity as elite athletes.
At the heart of it all, better experiences come down to cultivating a stronger, more adaptable mindset. Let’s take a closer look at the insights Gordon shared on the webinar and how they can inspire finance teams to work smarter, support better and achieve more balanced, sustainable success.
1. Performance isn’t just results - it’s progress together
"Working together is progress. Performing is success."
As Gordon shared, elite athletes know that performance starts with alignment and shared direction. For finance teams, that means breaking silos, clarifying goals and building processes that support consistent, collaborative progress. It’s not just about closing the books faster. It’s about doing it with less friction, smarter support and greater impact across the business ensuring each professional feels valued.
2. Think differently, not just harder
High performers don’t grind until burnout. They reframe and rethink when a challenge arises. Whether it’s a late-stage training block or a quarter-end close, it’s the mindset shift that matters:
Challenge = opportunity.
This reframing is core to how both athletes and finance leaders push forward. Through automation, better workflows and a willingness to adapt to new tech, teams and leaders can spend less time firefighting and more time thinking strategically.
3. Resilience is a skill, not a trait
Improvement isn’t linear. In fact, the dips often matter more than the highs. Gordon reminded us that resilience is about response, not recovery - finding new ways around old problems, questioning assumptions and building habits that support long-term momentum.
For finance teams, that could mean rethinking legacy systems, iterating on support models, or simply making time for process reflection after a chaotic month-end.
4. People and process are the performance edge
Behind every medal is a team: - coaches, analysts, physiotherapists, who are all focused on elevating the athlete’s performance and increasing their success rate. The same applies in modern finance: craft matters, but so does connection.
Leaders should build feedback loops, champion small wins and invest in tech that enables people to focus on what they’re best at as well as finance systems that allow for visibility across the board.
5. Mindset shapes experience
In hybrid or remote-first environments, it’s easy to fall into reactive mode. But real growth – in sport or in the office – comes from intentional time to think, reset, and reconnect.
Gordon recommended The Courage to Be Disliked, a powerful read on self-awareness and mindset shifts. It’s a reminder that better experiences often start with better thinking - ,not bigger goals.
This is just the beginning...
Our partnership with Triathlon Ireland is about more than inspiration. It aims to better experiences for finance professionals who want to work smarter, grow continuously and perform at their peak.
Keep an eye out for more insights, conversations and practical tools to help you build a finance function that’s fit for the future.
Because better experiences don’t just happen. They’re built - intentionally.
Missed the webinar?
Catch the full session with Gordon Crawford, performance director at Triathlon Ireland, and hear firsthand how a high-performance mindset can reshape the way you work.
🎥 Watch the webinar: https://accountsiq.wistia.com/medias/rj0ts4qg27
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