High-Level Sport and Management – Jean-Pierre Doly

Sport: A Source of Fresh Perspective and Connection

For several years, Jean-Pierre Doly has been accompanying a professional cycling team, first men’s then women’s. This experience brings him a lot: freshness, closeness, what his former boss Franck Riboud called ‘friction.’ Being in touch with the field, living with the riders in the same hotels, managing the organization down to the smallest detail for races: all of this helps to stay connected to reality.

This immersion gives him a keen understanding of concrete challenges, of how teams operate under stress and uncertainty, and directly informs his consulting and corporate training work.

The Danone World Cup: Creating Cohesion Through Sport

When he was in Argentina, Jean-Pierre Doly created, with José Faria, the Danone World Cup, a football competition for Danone Group employees worldwide. The impact was spectacular: mixed teams, bringing together workers, agents, managers, factory and headquarters staff, all united on the field.

Sport has this unique ability to break down hierarchies. Once in the locker room or on the field, hierarchies disappear. This creates powerful and lasting cohesion. Today, there is more talk of physical and sports activity (PSA) or adapted physical activity (APA) to avoid the excesses of purely competitive sport.

The Return on Investment of Corporate Sport

Corporate sport is no longer just a hunch: its return on investment is now proven. Studies show a significant decrease in absenteeism and, above all, an improvement in competitiveness and productivity, both individual and collective.

Since 2019, a law specifies that offering physical activity to employees is not considered a benefit in kind, which allows for a reduction in social security contributions. Companies can thus develop gyms, organize challenges (Tour de France stage, Paris Marathon), or promote health-focused sport. The so-called sport on prescription law even allows, in some cases, for reimbursement by social security and mutual insurance companies.

Friction: Staying Connected to the Field

Jean-Pierre Doly shares a striking anecdote: each year, he organized a debate between Franck Riboud and Aimé Jacquet. In 90% of cases, their answers converged, particularly on one key point: you have to stay in the field.

Aimé Jacquet regularly left his office to observe young people in training and attend matches on weekends. Franck Riboud applied the same logic at Danone: every trip was an opportunity for a ‘store check’ to observe products, prices, and question customers and salespeople. This direct contact, this ‘friction,’ is irreplaceable. Nothing beats human contact.

Managing a High-Level Athlete: A French Challenge

In France, it is more difficult than elsewhere to pursue both a sports career and an academic or professional career simultaneously. However, a high-level athlete brings a lot to a company: rigor, perseverance, failure management, team spirit, ability to manage pressure and crises.

On the other hand, he may take longer to achieve the same commercial performance as his colleagues. That’s why team solidarity is essential. In this regard, the law on the employment of people with disabilities (6% in companies with more than 20 employees) has shown very positive effects, particularly with high-level para-athletes.

What Businesses Can Bring to High-Level Sport

Jean-Pierre Doly is now working on the inverse question: what businesses can bring to high-level sport. However, be careful: a sports club or federation is not a classic business, and a crude transposition leads to failure.

However, certain contributions are valuable: vision, purpose, strategy, values, organization, evaluation systems, conflict and crisis management, structuring of roles and responsibilities. When well adapted, these tools can sustainably professionalize high-level sport.

The Five Actions of Great Successful Managers

By comparing business leaders, sports coaches, orchestra conductors, and Michelin-starred chefs, Jean-Pierre Doly identifies five common actions:

1. A clear project, driven by a vision, a purpose, and values

2. Choosing the right people, not necessarily the best individually, but the most complementary

3. The primacy of the collective, where the group is stronger than the sum of its individuals

4. Work before talent, with curiosity, openness, and continuous learning

5. The right to make mistakes, essential for innovation and creativity

The Rule of Three Hs: Humanism, Humility, Humor

For effective management, Jean-Pierre Doly highlights the Rule of Three Hs: humanism, humility, and humor. Antoine Riboud perfectly embodied this philosophy. His sense of humor, particularly during his appearance on the show L’heure de vérité, left a lasting impression.

In a nutshell

Key Takeaways from this Masterclass with Jean-Pierre Doly:

• Sport creates cohesion and breaks down hierarchies

• The return on investment is proven, especially regarding absenteeism and productivity

• Staying in the field is essential for effective management

• Five actions structure managerial success: a clear project, choosing the right people, the primacy of the collective, work before talent, and the right to make mistakes.

As the San Antonio quote dear to Jean-Pierre Doly says: You don’t die rich from what you’ve done; you regret what you haven’t done.

Don’t miss the next Masterclass!

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