What if the key to team performance isn't in the data, but in childhood photos?

Brentford FC are Premier League underdogs who consistently punch above their weight - despite a budget just 10% of what Manchester City and Arsenal spend. While their data-driven "Moneyball" approach gets the headlines, there's a ritual they practice that no algorithm could design…

Each week, one player stands before their teammates with a childhood photo and tells its story.

Inevitably, it often starts awkwardly. But as these athletes from Denmark, Nigeria, Ukraine, South Korea and beyond talk about the environments they grew up in - and the people who shaped them - something shifts.

These aren't just nostalgic stories - they're the foundations that built world-class athletes, revealing influences that never show up in analytics dashboards or scouting reports.

Yeah, I know. It's easy to see the through-line for footballers. Most have wanted to play since they were kids.

What about the rest of us?

While you may have told your boss otherwise, you probably weren't dreaming about your current role when you were 10.

Yet I'd bet there's a skill, an area, a zone of genius that connects back.

For me, it's creating spaces for people to connect and discover new things.
At 10, making magazines. At 13, coaching my brother's football team. At 15, working in a record store.

Today, designing workshops and learning experiences. Different contexts, same thread.

Next time you're questioning your path, dig out - or just picture - a childhood photo. Take a minute with it:

• What naturally drew me in at this age?
• What made me lose track of time?
• What talents did adults notice that I might have forgotten?

I know it sounds corny. It is. But it's also not.

Your current work might look different on the surface, but underneath there might just be a consistent pattern – a way of engaging with the world that's uniquely yours.

What childhood thread connects to your work today?