SEF.Growth Event with FS Partners

On your marks, get set, go! In collaboration with The CFO Company, FS Partners and the SEF.Growth team invited entrepreneurs to OYM in Cham, a scientific sports center for professional athletes. The evening was all about decision-making, a skill crucial for athletes as well as entrepreneurs. A high-caliber lineup, surrounded by the impressive infrastructure of OYM, made this a very valuable event for the participants

“Team sport is a perfect environment to learn for life,” Lukas Frösch, Director of Entrepreneurship at NZZ Connect, began, passing the ball to Christian Nauer, Partner at FS Partners, entrepreneur, and former handball referee. His experience as a referee was key to understanding his perspective, as referees make over 200 decisions per game. But how can a referee make good decisions in the heat of the moment?

Here are three insights from Christian Nauer on how to make confident decisions:

• Analysis and confidence are contrary in speed, but both are essential for good decisions.

• Use slow thinking to prepare by identifying recognizable patterns, so that you’re ready when fast decisions are needed.

• When it’s time for fast thinking, trust your preparation and intuition. Use the cues you've prepared and rely on your gut to guide you.

From the Sports World to the Entrepreneurial World

Founders face the same challenges as athletes—they constantly need to improve and thrive in a competitive environment. During the sprint, there’s no time for overthinking, but between those sprints, there’s time to analyze the situation and identify the cues that will trigger key decisions.

Dan Tangnes, Head Coach of EV Zug, emphasizes: “80% of the work is done between the games. In the preparation phase, I have to empower players to make decisions. I have them practice motions repeatedly so that they can intuitively replicate them within split seconds on the ice.”

This principle applies to entrepreneurs as well. With systematic preparation, founders can iterate efficiently and avoid slowing down to analyze every situation. Jonas Hiller, one of Switzerland’s most successful ice hockey goalkeepers, explained: “Practicing the basics is like collecting money you can spend during the game. The money you have is the intuitive actions you can call upon. In one situation, it’s this movement; in another, it’s that movement. You rely on your intuition to make those critical extra saves that set you apart.”

Christian Nauer concurs: “With thorough preparation, you’ll know what to do in the moment.”

Parallels from Sports to Business

Building a business is teamwork. Just like in sports, the team members must ignite one another, independent of their roles, so everyone can contribute to the big goal. Responsibilities need to be allocated across the team, and a culture that fosters quick decision-making under pressure must be established.

Thomas Inhelder, CFO at Yokoy, shared his philosophy on this: “For me, it’s make it or break it. We set a clear goal that we want to achieve as a team and if we don’t reach a certain level within a year, we stop.” Thomas further compared a company to a sports team, saying: “A company should be a sports team, not a family. We were very upfront with people we hired and told them it would be tough – a rollercoaster ride.”

A high-functioning team in both business and sports requires:

• Established routines that everyone follows.

• Incentives that reward the right behaviors.

• A high level of respect for individual personalities, acknowledging their different needs and approaches.

Dan echoed these sentiments, reinforcing the need for focus: “Control the controllable, measure it. In sports, as in business, there are uncontrollable factors. Focus on what we can control and don’t get distracted by things we can’t.”