Damian Hughes is an international speaker, bestselling author and co-host of the High Performance Podcast. From formative years in a Manchester boxing gym shaped by his father’s belief in community and belonging, to a career spanning Unilever, elite sport and academic work as a visiting professor, Damian combines his background in sport, organisational development and change psychology to help leaders and teams create high-performing cultures grounded in behaviour and human connection. In this episode of Culture de-cooded, Damian explores the central question he has asked across more than 500 conversations with leaders, athletes and creatives: what really defines high performance? His guiding insight is simple and inclusive. High performance is doing the best you can, in the moment you’re in, with the resources you have. Drawing on stories from his upbringing in the Manchester boxing gym, his work across England football, rugby union and rugby league, as well as interviews and research that underpin Microhabits, Damian explains why exceptional cultures are those where people feel seen, heard and loved. He reveals how leaders close the say-do gap by replacing abstract values with lived, observable behaviours. Damian also explores why clarity, consistency and trust matter, how standards are formed, and why personal reflection sits at the heart of sustainable leadership. Through examples ranging from Clive Woodward to Toto Wolff and insights gathered from 20 years working inside high-pressure environments, he shows how small, practical habits become the foundation of performance. Finally, Damian reflects on his own journey, including the turning point at Unilever that pushed him toward dedicating his career to human performance, culture and behavioural change. It is an honest, practical and deeply human conversation about what it takes to build environments where people can truly thrive. Podcast Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to the episode00:01:33 Introducing Damian Hughes00:02:12 What is high performance00:03:36 Phil Neville’s definition00:05:45 Growing up in a Manchester boxing gym00:07:43 A culture where people feel seen, heard and loved00:09:24 Are great cultures replicable00:10:30 The Eleven Madison example00:12:03 Culture and outcomes00:13:42 What happens in the shadows00:14:36 Turning values into behaviours00:17:46 The say-do gap00:19:50 Trust and behavioural consistency00:22:24 Standards and non-negotiable behaviours00:27:48 Transparency, consistency and hard calls00:31:00 The leader’s self-mastery challenge00:33:59 Behaviour as personality plus environment00:41:08 The “Dickhead Test” and context00:44:47 Psychological safety (SAFE)00:48:36 Humility and the valley of humility00:52:12 Lessons from Nims Purja00:56:55 Damian’s journey from boxing to Unilever01:02:11 The Durban boardroom moment01:04:06 Working in elite sport and culture01:05:36 Damian’s leadership journey in a song: Just Say Yes

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