The Power of Personalised Analytics in Unlocking Growth

The South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) exists to address a longstanding issue in professional cricket: the systemic underrepresentation of British South Asian talent in the elite game. Their mission is not only about inclusion but also about performance – proving that overlooked players can thrive when given the right platform.

The tour provided exactly that: a high-pressure stage where every performance counted, and scrutiny was relentless. It was the perfect environment to apply our iLEAD diagnostic tools to help players understand themselves better, particularly when performing in pressurised situations.

As part of the process, each player completed a bespoke tool designed to assess key psychological and performance-based coping skills. This included factors such as resilience, self-doubt, self-efficacy, and adaptability – qualities just as critical in leadership as they are in elite sport. This wasn’t about ticking boxes or collecting data for its own sake; it was the first step in building meaningful, individualised development plans. Each player’s results were then explored in a one-to-one session, helping them make sense of their profile and identify the areas they were most motivated to develop.

The aggregated data provided a clear picture of common development areas across the team. This allowed me to structure group workshops that targeted these shared gaps. Group learning is powerful when you know exactly what needs attention, and the diagnostic made that possible.

While group sessions created a foundation, real transformation happened in the one-to-one coaching. Each player had their own developmental journey. For example, one batsman wanted to refine their internal dialogue at the crease. We crafted specific phrases they could use for motivation and technical focus, such as “Play straight” early in the innings and “I’m a strong batsman, I’ve got this” when more aggressive play was required. Other players focused on different elements, from breathing techniques to communication or visualisation. Every plan was bespoke because performance improvement is personal.

Once there was a clear, coherent understanding of both individual and team-level needs, that’s when the real work began – translating insight into targeted development plans and activities that drove performance excellence, both on and off the pitch. The most effective development starts with clarity. That’s exactly what the our iLEAD methodology delivers, especially in high-stakes environments where a deep grasp of individual and group-level dynamics is critical. It enables a development process that’s not generic but precisely aligned: the right interventions for the right person at the right time.

Elite sport is a pressure cooker for human performance – expectations, scrutiny, and fatigue all collide. Sound familiar? It should. Leaders face these same pressures in high-stakes corporate environments, only without the structured support athletes receive. In any organisation, no two leaders have the same strengths, challenges, or growth needs. Group leadership training can be useful, but only to a point. True development comes when individuals understand what they specifically need to grow and are given the specific resources they need to achieve it.

Every participant completes diagnostic tools that identify their unique development areas. From there, individual strategies are designed to help them lead with more impact, confidence, and resilience. At the same time, organisations gain anonymised aggregate insights to guide group-level interventions – whether that’s workshops, coaching, or broader L&D planning.

If you want to take a more in-depth look into how iLEAD can benefit the development of your leaders, please email the team at hello@pearnkandola.com or complete the form below.