Growth, resilience and the power of showing up

In our latest People Without Compromise, we speak to David about what triathlons have taught him about resilience and why some of the best moments happen when you least expect them.

Hi Dave, what don’t you compromise on?

For me, it comes down to three things: the power of real human connection, the importance of showing up consistently, and making sure I find a way to enjoy the ride. Life moves fast, and it’s easy to get caught up in just getting through the day without considering whether you’re showing up for yourself and for others. Making time to connect with people, staying committed when things get hard, and finding pockets of enjoyment are how I keep myself balanced.

Let’s start with the power of connection. Why is that so important to you?

I don’t believe in surface-level relationships. Whether it’s in work, sport, or life in general, the best things happen when you genuinely connect with people – not just because you need something, but because you’re curious about who they are.
I’ve always found that trust isn’t built overnight. It comes from showing up consistently, proving you’re reliable, and genuinely taking an interest in people.

Too often, relationships are treated as transactional: ‘I do this for you, you do this for me’, but that’s not how I operate. If you take the time to build trust, to have real conversations and to really listen, you open doors you never even knew existed. In a remote position such as mine, where I’m separated from my colleagues across the world, it’s absolutely vital.

How do you approach building meaningful relationships?

I show up as myself – always. I’d rather have an honest conversation than a rehearsed one, and I want people to feel like they can say what they think, not just what they think they should say.
That also means being intentional about how you engage with people. Whether it’s a friend, a colleague or a client, relationships need time and effort. The best ones aren’t built in a single conversation; they grow through consistency – following up, staying in touch, and making time for the conversations that actually matter.

At the end of the day, the people around you make the biggest difference in your life, so you should invest in them.

Let’s talk about your second value: consistency.

A lot of people wait for motivation to strike, but motivation is unreliable. It’s great when it’s there, but if you only show up when you ‘feel like it,’ you won’t get very far. Success – whether in training for a triathlon, being a good parent, or doing your job well – comes from consistency, not bursts of inspiration.

Triathlon training has really cemented this for me. There are plenty of mornings when I don’t want to get up and train, but that’s exactly why I do it. If you can push through when it’s hard, when no one’s watching, when no one would blame you for skipping, that’s when you grow.

You mentioned the impact triathlon training has had on you – what has that taught you about resilience?

Training for a triathlon teaches you that success isn’t about one big moment, it’s about all the small ones that add up.

Race day isn’t where the real work happens. The real work happens in the training sessions when no one’s watching, when no one would know if you skipped it, when you could so easily give yourself an excuse. If you don’t put in the work before hand, you’ll be in for a rude shock on race day. You can’t bluff your way through a triathlon – your preparation catches up with you, for better or worse.

At work, we don’t always get those ‘race day’ moments. There’s no single event where all the effort becomes obvious. That’s exactly why training for something like a triathlon is valuable, building the discipline to show up consistently even when no one is measuring your progress. When you apply that mindset elsewhere – to work, life or relationships – you realise that success isn’t about shortcuts. Success is about everything you did when no one was watching. That’s a mindset I take into everything I do.

We’ve talked about the importance of connections and consistency, but how important is it to actually enjoy what you’re doing?

If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t keep doing it.

There’s a misconception that hard work and enjoyment are opposites, but I think they go hand in hand. If you can find joy in what you’re doing, even when it’s tough, you open yourself up to new opportunities and experiences that you might not have otherwise had.
Some of the most successful teams I’ve worked with weren’t just talented, they had the drive to push each other, the confidence to challenge ideas, and the resilience to keep going when things got tough.

That kind of environment doesn’t come from just showing up and getting the job done. It comes when people actually enjoy what they’re working towards. It’s the same with training. When you stop seeing the challenge as a burden and start appreciating the process, you get better results.

How do you stay balanced, even when things get stressful?

For me, it’s about remembering that stress is temporary, but how you handle it lasts.
It’s easy to get caught up in pressure, in deadlines, in an overwhelming sense of urgency – but I try to remind myself that most things aren’t as big as they feel in the moment. You can either let stress consume you or you can choose to take a step back, breathe, and keep moving.
Some of the best moments happen when you least expect them, often when everything is hectic, but you laugh at how ridiculous it all is. I try to hold on to that – and to not take myself too seriously. Balance makes the difference.