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> On The Medal Stand
The Summer Olympics from Bejing are just around the corner and the world’s best athletes will be pursuing goals that have involved a lifetime of sweat and commitment. The margin of error is unbelievably small; some events will be decided by 100ths of a second, and the vast majority of participants will return home without a medal.
Four years ago, Megan (Quann) Jendrick finished fourth in the U.S. Olympic swim trials by 11-hundreths of a second and therefore missed making the Athens team. To make matters worse, she had previously won two gold medals in 2000. Yet, despite her natural talent, four years of hard work, and incredible determination, she wound up staying home.
There are many factors, some uncontrollable, that determine the winners from the losers. Obviously, you can’t do much about the weather, an ill-timed virus or other acts of God. Thankfully, many factors are addressable within the scope of coach and athlete.
Consider that coaching relationship for a moment. So much is on the line. The coach has to teach, push, encourage and console. Should the athlete prevail and win a medal, the coach’s joy is all about their athlete’s victory. The coach will never be on the medal stand, probably receive no endorsements, be interviewed or show up on the cover of a magazine. Coaches get their rush from helping the athlete achieve great things. The very act of coaching involves subordinating your ego to the athlete’s. When that doesn’t happen, things can go very wrong.
Great business leaders have much in common with these Olympic coaches. They realize both intellectually and emotionally that it is really all about their people’s success. The emotional connection is critical; it implies that the leader has genuine, strong feelings about their people. They want to see them on the medal stand and live to provide the inspiration, direction, feedback and encouragement needed to make that happen.
Strong executives know their personal success depends on coaching good people to achieve big things. While many CEO’s actually do end up on the cover of magazines, their success is often short lived if getting “press” becomes their primary objective. The best leaders feel intense satisfaction when their people blow through their targets, turn around troubled businesses, get promoted to bigger jobs and otherwise perform at their best.
Give some thought to how you really feel about being a coach. While the title on your business card probably doesn’t include the word “coach”, nothing you do is more vital to the success of your business.
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