Lessons from the Olympic champions
No video today I’m afraid, my baby son Jasper has decided to start getting up at 5am. And I think that I’d scare you off if you saw me on your PC screen at the moment! Even an Executive Rockstar coach can look rough after 4 hours sleep ;o)
I’m writing this article because I just received some the photo’s from my sailing trip with the ‘Skandia GBR Sailing Team’. These guys are amazing! They became the most successful sailing team of all time at the Beijing Olympics, where they came home with 6 medals, 4 of them gold.
I got to try on one of those gold medals for size, which was quite a thrill. But even better I got some time to ask Paul Goodison – whose ‘gold’ I stole for the picture – and the team, some questions about what it takes to become an ‘Olympic Rockstar’. I wanted to understand whether what made them great tallied with what I’ve learnt previously from observing the best movers and shakers in the business world.
So what surprised me?
It takes a definite decision
These guys didn’t just fall into greatness. They each made a definite commitment to a achieve a goal. I found it fascinating that many of the most successful sailors of this Olympics are are taking some time to consider whether they want to be involved in the 2012 olympics. Even after a great success, they are standing back and thinking about what they really want to commit to. Of course this means that once they do commit, they know that it’s no accident, not continuing by default. It’s going to be a 100% commitment!
You need to prioritize and focus on what’s important
I asked each team member if they could pinpoint the major reason for their personal success. Each of them came up with a very succinct answer: fitness, technique, having the best equipment this year, psychology. Each person knew without doubt what the most important thing for them was. They don’t guess. They have good external feedback, and there was none of that uncertainty that I sometimes see when I begin with coaching clients. I’m sure that they don’t need ‘The $2.5 million dollar tip’
It takes finance and influence!
Even for sailing money comes into it. These guys were Olympic sailors, but you would have thought that they were champion public speakers. They thanked the team sponsors with eloquence, and individually they sell their dream very well. They get where they need to go by infecting other people with their enthusiasm and commitment, and it works! They get to do what they love, but just like Executive Rockstars they also know that they can’t do it alone.
It takes failure!
The sailors spoke of the pain of previous Olypmics, of fourth places, and anguish. But the facts are that many of the winners this year had been losers in previous Olympics. Just being on the ‘Big Stage’ gave them experience that they needed to come back and win. The people who didn’t win medals this year know this. You’ve got to pay your dues and put yourself out there if you’re going to bring home gold!
It takes reputation
To become an Olympic sailor, you need to win races and build a reputation. You need sponsorship. You need to ‘get to the discussion table’ with the Olympic selectors, and you need to know honestly where your sailing strengths lie, and show them off! It’s the only way to become world class.
It takes good coaches and a supportive team
Each and every team member mentioned their coach, their training partners, and the support team around them. To be world class takes world class help! Interestingly it’s a virtuous cycle: World class help creates world class sailors that then get more world class help… All of the sailors had to break into that cycle at some point!
It takes belief
I heard a great story over dinner from one of the Olympic sailors who says that she was always second best at her sailing club when she was young. The person who beat her dropped out of sailing long ago, but this Olympian says that she knows that he would have been world class if he’d had the right direction. He had the ability… but she had the BIG dream and the help to pull her through.
It was just a great trip, and I’d like to thank Accenture (a former client) for inviting me. I had a great days sailing some fascinating conversation, and after helming my team to victory in the day’s regatta, I came home with a little gold plastic medal of my own – although I preferred Paul’s ;o)
Jason Bates
Find out more about the Executive Rockstar Initiative for Career and Business Success
The course is finally open for Registration!
But there are a limited number of places
CLICK HERE NOW!
Tags: coaching, performance, sailing
October 17th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
[...] you see that I got to go sailing with the British Olympic Sailing Team, a couple of weeks ago? On that trip, I was given a really nice limited edition 2008 ‘GBR [...]