Sports pro uses team tactics in the office to improve KPIs

When he isn’t busy training for his next match with Oldham, Jamaica international rugby league player Mo Agoro is introducing teams of business people in Wakefield and Leeds to team training that aims to improve business performance and work-life balance.

Mo says bonds developed through exercise with colleagues improve key performance indicators at work as well as supporting personal fitness goals.

“The colleagues who meet in the gym for our team training might not have met before, particularly if they’re in different departments, so the programme is a great way for them to build camaraderie and trust,” explained Mo, who trains teams of colleagues across Wakefield and Leeds from his base at Thorpe Park, near Garforth.

“Team workouts have a fun and competitive element so that when people go back to the office and perhaps find themselves working together on a project, that bond is already there.”

Mo said sports training regimes focused heavily on teamwork and a recognition that physical health and mental performance are linked.

“I wanted to develop a programme that would make it easy for companies to integrate employee health and fitness into their culture and reap the benefits of increased productivity, job satisfaction and better team dynamics,” he said.

Mo grew up in Leeds and played for Leeds Rhinos Academy before signing his first professional contract with Oldham at the end of 2012. He has played over two-hundred professional games and played for teams in Gloucestershire, Newcastle and Keighley before rejoining current club Oldham.

Mo runs MLA Performance at Thorpe Park, near Garforth. Corporate clients currently using his Strong and Ready programme include Don Whiteley Scientific in Bingley, SBFM in Thorpe Park and Volta Compliance, Kippax. Training sessions are based at PureGym Leeds Thorpe Park and at client workplaces.

His Strong and Ready programme sees staff teams meet for regular group training - but it isn’t all about the reps.

“Strength and conditioning training is a big part of this because physical strength and stamina are the building blocks for a healthier lifestyle but this is also about sharing experiences, challenging and supporting each other and learning how to train your body to cope with everyday challenges at home and work,” said Mo.

“I don’t believe wellbeing and work should be compartmentalised and if we can overcome that mindset, we can be more fulfilled in all aspects of our lives.”