Every time the Olympics come around, we witness the world’s fastest, strongest, and most skilled athletes perform on the world stage. We see history being made, records being broken, and humans pushing to be better.
Beyond being in awe of these athletes, we can learn a lot from their resilience, commitment, and dedication that will serve us in achieving our own goals, whether in our personal or professional lives.
Planning Long-Term
With the four-year cycle between Olympic Games (bar the COVID-19 delay for the 2020 Tokyo Games), athletes need to stay committed in achieving their dreams of being an Olympian. All sports have their own championships and tournaments, but for many sports the Olympics are the pinnacle.
I see many businesses and professional seeking instant gratification and short-term wins, without a strategy on how to achieve long-term goals. Olympians are testament to what you can achieve when you play the long-game and aim to be the best.
Keeping Track of Objectives
Beyond just dreaming of the Olympics, these athletes put in the training to get there. They work hard every day, keeping the end-goal of the Olympics in mind. As the saying goes, they have often put in blood, sweat and tears, but the hard work pays off.
In business, especially as a founder, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of the business and forget about the bigger picture. Keeping your north star in mind will help you make difficult decisions and keep your business on track.
Making Small Changes for Big Wins
Often, there will only be fractions of a second between first and second place in a race. The difference between a high- and low-scoring dive is in the placement of a few fingers. The long-jump is decided by pushing yourself a few extra centimetres. Olympians know that the smallest of changes can make a big difference to the end result.
The same is true in business. Sometimes you will need transformations and big overhauls, but often the smallest changes can make your team more efficient, more productive and more effective, which leads to big results.
Being Part of a Team
Many sports are individual events, but the athletes come together as part of the national team. This is an important part of sportsmanship and business. As an executive team member you will be used to leading and managing yourself, but by being a part of the team you will develop professionally, become a better leader and accelerate the business growth.
Practicing Good Sportsmanship
Many of the athletes we see at the Olympics have competed against each other for years and are good friends. A lot of business is also competition, but we can learn to approach it with good sportsmanship. The businesses you view as competitors are there to propel you to be better and innovate faster. You are also likely to be in competition for the long-haul, so get to know one another and make the competition fun for the industry.
“When you play against great players, you have to raise your level to beat them.” – Roger Federer
Loving the Game
These Olympians aren’t just good at what they do – they love it. In order to put in the work over the years, focus on making small but impactful changes, and strive for the end-goal, they need to love what they’re doing too. Building a business can be challenging, but enjoying the challenge and being passionate about the problem your solving will help you keep growing and innovating.
If you need additional support making your business gold medal-winning, get in touch.
