Olympic Tips to Be a Better Leader

Olympic athletes don’t achieve greatness overnight. They spend their entire lives preparing to become one of the chosen few to represent their country on the world stage. Training for years to attempt consistent, flawless execution of their skills, under unimaginable pressure—they perform, driven by their desire to succeed.

Great leaders and Olympians have a lot in common, but the one attribute they share that truly matters is that they earn their titles. For both, winning isn’t an accident. It’s a habit. Olympians and great leaders know this at their very core.

Here are four tips that Olympians use that can strengthen your company and help you become a better leader.

Learn to visualize

How can you effectively lead a team if everyone has different ideas about where they’re heading? The act of visualization is a popular tactic used by Olympians and one that every business manager should adopt as part of their leadership game plan.

Mental imagery is proven to have a positive effect on overall performance and can increase your odds of reaching certain goals. Work with your team to paint a picture of what success looks like and spell out their roles in meeting those expectations– whether it’s increasing department sales by 15 percent or cutting expenses across the board.

Thrive under pressure

With the world watching and years of training boiled down into several heart-racing moments, Olympians are experts at performing under high stakes. How? Practice, practice, practice. They don’t leave things to chance. They train tirelessly until an action become automatic. They convert movements to memory and make success a reflex.

Similarly, business leaders who don’t properly prepare for big moments and decide to “wing it” crumble when it counts. That jeopardizes their credibility with the people who matter most, their team. A leader must know what level of preparation his/her team needs to achieve their goals. It’s their job to make certain everyone has what they want to ensure victory.

It takes a village

Olympic athletes don’t get to the games on their individual skills alone. In fact most, if not all, competitors would have nothing to show for themselves if it weren’t for the tremendous amount of support from their coaches, trainers, and families–not to mention the backing of the nation they represent.

By the same token, good leaders are nothing without the trust and respect of the people they guide. Leadership isn’t about taking all the glory for yourself; it’s about championing your team from the sidelines. Investing in, educating, and inspiring them to do their best.

Use failures as opportunities

The Olympics are the epitome of triumph and defeat. While top performers get all the praise and attention, there’s an important lesson to be learned from those who crash and fail in their quest for gold. The best athletes, and the best leaders, don’t wallow in loss nor do they make excuses for their shortcomings. Rather, they use failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. In fact, failure is one of the most direct and effective forms of feedback you and your team can receive. Analyze what conditions were within your control (and which were not) and work together to make improvements where they’re needed most.