What we can learn from the Olympics
The excitement of competition, seeing the best athletes in the world strive to reach the pinnacle of their sports - this year’s Olympics in Beijing were a great spectacle. For the observant, there are many business and personal development lessons we can learn from the Olympics. Here are just five.
1. Clarity of the ‘big goal’
Michael Phelps in a press conference following his record breaking eight gold medals, said that beating Mark Spitz's seven gold medals was a stretch goal he had identified and had been working towards for years. Having a goal that will stretch you, be it doubling your sales or learning a new skill, will focus your efforts and fuel your motivation. In your life or business, what is your equivalent of ‘winning an Olympic gold medal?’
2. Discipline and Dedication
Determination is demonstrating that you are 100% committed to your goals and dreams. In business just like in sport, the most successful people are the hardest working. You may not see the work they put in, only the evidence of it. As Michelangelo said ‘if people knew how hard I worked they wouldn’t marvel at my genius.’ Top swimmers get up at 5am every morning to train. Successful people in all walks of life do what others don’t want to do, that is, train harder and make sacrifices. Irrespective of what life throws at them, committed athletes keep training. That is the price they pay for the ultimate success. The word ‘discipline’ comes from the same root as the word ‘disciple,’ to follow something (your stretch goal). When you are disciplined you are disciplined in the pursuit of something. What are you disciplined about?
3. Getting into the ‘zone.’
Whether it is attending an important meeting, making a sale, negotiating a deal or competing in the Olympics, so much of how we perform is a mental game. When the mind is calm, the body relaxes, we remain alert, focused and we perform at our best. Focus is about having less thoughts and usually less negative thoughts, the distractions that serve no purpose. You are not thinking about what happened two weeks ago, what might go wrong, or what others might think about you. These thoughts are eliminated and replaced with more empowering ones. ‘How can I seize this opportunity?’ ‘How can I deliver on my potential?’ You are focussed on the present moment and what is within your control. Top athletes know that all the physical preparation in the world means nothing if your thoughts don't align with your desired results.
If you look at the current economic environment, some people are striving and others languishing. How much of it is reality and how much is mental attitude. How much of the current doom and gloom is a self fulfilling prophecy? Just as athletes cut out negative thinking with conscious effort, business owners need to recession proof their minds.
4. The Support Team
When Olympic athletes are interviewed they acknowledge the roles of their friends, families and coaches. Success is rarely achieved in isolation. Would Usain Bolt have won three gold medals in three world record times without the input of his coach Glen Mills? What role did Michael Phelps’s coach Bob Bowman play in his historic success? Decades ago, insightful business managers recognised that they could transfer the core skills and essence of the sports coach to the business environment and create outstanding business athletes. Now, there is not a fortune 500 CEO who does not have at least one business or personal coach, and many have several coaches for different aspects of their lives and careers. If you think about it, if every single successful sports performer has a coach, why should it be any different for individuals and organisations who want to excel in their own fields?
5. Success is learning from the journey
Of course, the Olympics are not just about winning. Of the thousands of athletes that participate only a small fraction of them go home with a medal. Athletes endeavour to achieve a personal best which is a nice reminder to focus on our own unique accomplishments without comparing ourselves to others. For every Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps there are thousands of others who train just as hard and sacrifice just as much. It is about competing, trying your best and of course getting into the game in the first place.
In business, there may not be a gold medal, or even a finishing line and it might be your accountant who is the arbiter of your success. However, apply the above concepts and you will be developing the mindset of an Olympic champion.
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