As we reflect on the Paris 2024 Olympics, yet again we’ve witnessed the incredible dedication, resilience, trust, and strategic brilliance of athletes at the highest level. But as business leaders, what powerful lessons can be learned from the sports arena and applied to our daily work lives? Just like the journey to Olympic success, the growth from training to the podium provides insights for C-Suite executives to enhance leadership, inspire teams, and achieve organisational goals. So, let’s get into it, what leadership lessons can we learn from Olympic athletes?
Olympic athletes teach us the importance of leading with purpose and intentionality, being resilient to overcome challenges, and having the emotional self-awareness to know when we need to inspire a shift in mindset. They teach us the value of commitment, and never to underestimate the power of incremental gains and collaboration.
At Breakthrough Global, we partner with successful organisations to align strategy with culture and unleash competitive advantage. With over 30 years of experience, we help business leaders get their strategies off the page and owned by their people through tried and tested tools, processes, and mindset transformations. Read on to discover how the preparation, strategies, and mindsets of top athletes can be applied in the boardroom to foster innovation and elevate your career and company to new heights.
Intentionality: Leading with Purpose
Olympic athletes don’t just show up; they arrive with a clear intention. Every training session, every meal, every decision is guided by a singular focus—winning. This level of intentionality is crucial for business leaders as well. To lead effectively, you must be purposeful in your actions, decisions, and strategies.
Intentional leadership in business, and the concept of ‘Intentionality’ is paramount. This means leading with a clear vision and purpose and ensuring that every decision and action aligns with your organisation’s strategic goals. Just as an athlete’s training is meticulously planned to achieve peak performance, leaders must intentionally design their strategies and actions to drive business success.
Intentional leadership also involves clear communication and alignment within the organisation. At Breakthrough Global, we encourage leaders to be aware of how our use of language impacts our Personal Power and Intentionality at work. Intentional language (e.g. WILL, WILL NOT, WILL ENSURE, WHEN) reinforces commitment and the greater probability of success. And, when everyone understands the mission and their role in it, teams can work together more effectively - much like a well-coordinated Olympic relay or sprint team.
We saw this come to life in Paris 2024 as for the fifth time in history, Team GB became Olympic Champions in the Men’s 8 (M8) (rowing) - a fairytale outcome for the crew’s coach, Steve Trapmore, who had won gold himself in the Men’s eight at Sydney 2000.
Rower Morgan Bolding said “…Everyone came with us. We held on and I think we must’ve clawed something out in the third 500m. It’s been a fantastic 10-man team with Stevie; every decision we’ve made over the past three years has been about this and no decision has been the wrong one”.
Resilience: Overcoming Challenges with a Winning Mindset
The road to the Olympics is fraught with obstacles—injuries, setbacks, and intense competition. What sets Olympic athletes apart is their resilience—their ability to overcome challenges and maintain a winning mindset. The application of resilience in leadership is equally important for business leaders, who must navigate the complexities of the corporate world with determination and grit.
In elite sport as in business, we see success born when there’s a real focus on cultivating a Breakthrough Mindset in leadership. This mindset combines Heroic action with a Magical belief in possibilities. It’s about facing challenges head-on, with the confidence that you can find a way through. Just as athletes push through pain and adversity to reach their goals, leaders must persevere through business challenges, using setbacks as opportunities for growth and innovation.
Resilience also involves emotional intelligence—knowing when to shift from a ‘Red Train’ (negative, defensive mindset) to a ‘Blue Train’ (positive, creative mindset). Leaders who master this shift can inspire their teams to stay motivated and focused, even in the face of adversity.
In Paris 2024, Cindy Ngamba, made history by winning the first-ever Olympic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team and despite losing in the semifinals, Ngamba's achievement has been hailed as a historic milestone.
Ngamba's path to the Olympics was fraught with challenges. She fled Cameroon in 2009 due to civil unrest and later sought asylum in the UK after coming out as gay, avoiding potential imprisonment in her home country where LGBTQ people are criminalised. Her coach, Nick Rayner, praised her resilience, stating, “Cindy is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. She hasn’t had it easy... All the way through life, she’s been told that she can’t be or do something.”
This indomitable spirit has propelled Ngamba to Olympic success, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration for refugees and marginalised communities worldwide.
Full-On Commitment: Leading with Energy and Focus
Olympic athletes are known for their “all-in” commitment to their sport. Whether it’s a gruelling training session or a final race, they give 100% of their energy and focus to the task at hand. Demonstrating that same level of commitment in leadership is also essential.
At Breakthrough Global, we encourage leaders to adopt a Full-On approach. This means dedicating your full energy and attention to your leadership role, being fully present in every decision and interaction. Much like an athlete who leaves nothing on the field, leaders must bring their best selves to their work, creating an environment where focus and energy are contagious.
This approach also involves making clear decisions—knowing when to say yes, when to say no, and avoiding being “guess-so” about situations. By being decisive and fully committed, leaders can drive their organisations forward with clarity and purpose.
It’s hard to pull-out just one example of this demonstration of a Full-On approach for any Olympics, but perhaps one such example is Team USA’s Katie Ledecky. Ledecky won her ninth Olympic Gold in Paris (to go with her other 14 Olympic medals) and became the fifth most decorated athlete in Olympic history, aged just 27.
Continuous Improvement: Embracing Innovation and Growth
Olympic athletes are constantly looking for ways to improve, whether it’s refining their technique, optimising their nutrition, or enhancing their mental game. This commitment to continuous improvement is a key driver of success, and it’s a principle that business leaders should embrace as well.
The concept of Continuous Improvement through Innovation, innovation in leadership, and the notion that small, incremental ‘1-degree shifts’ can make all the difference to performance is something we see so often when working with business leaders. Just as athletes make small adjustments to shave milliseconds off their time, leaders and their teams can make incremental changes that lead to significant improvements in their organisations. By fostering a culture of innovation and encouraging teams to try new things, leaders can ensure that their businesses remain competitive and adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
This approach also means not tolerating cynicism. Just as an athlete must believe in their ability to improve, leaders must cultivate a culture of optimism and possibility within their organisations. By doing so, they can inspire their teams to embrace change and pursue excellence with enthusiasm.
From those millisecond-based marginal gains to claim Olympic Gold or break World Records to monumental societal shifts, we’ve seen a host of incremental gains, innovation and improvement in this year’s Olympics. Notably Frenchman Léon Marchand won four gold medals and set Olympic records in each win; in gymnastics we saw the first all-black women’s podium; and overall, Paris 2024 was the first modern Olympics to achieve 50-50 gender equality among competing athletes. The last time Paris hosted the Olympic Games – in 1924, only 4.4% of the athletes were women.
Building a Team: The Power of Collaboration
While individual athletes often receive the spotlight, the reality is that Olympic success is rarely achieved alone. Coaches, teammates, and support staff all play a critical role in an athlete’s journey. This emphasis on collaboration and teamwork is a powerful lesson for business leaders.
At Breakthrough Global, we champion the concept of ‘Line of One’—a philosophy inspired by the way geese fly in formation, never leaving anyone behind.
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Just as a successful Olympic team relies on trust, communication, and mutual support, business leaders must show collaborative leadership by building strong teams that work together toward a common goal.
This approach involves creating a culture of accountability, where team members feel empowered to declare breakdowns and work together to find solutions. By fostering this level of trust and collaboration, leaders can create a resilient, high-performing organisation.
Take the Dutch Men’s sprint team who took to the velodrome to claim Gold and break the World Record. The trio of Roy van den Berg, Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland rode faster than any in history, becoming the first team to ride 750m in less than 41 seconds.
“It was awesome, it was like a home race, so many Dutch people here, it's close to the Netherlands,” said Hoogland. “The track is nice, warm and fast, we were ready, everything was perfect, and then going under 41 seconds is amazing."
Conclusion: Bringing Olympic Lessons to the Boardroom
The lessons learned from Olympic athletes go far beyond the podium. Their intentionality, resilience, commitment, and focus on continuous improvement offer invaluable insights for business leaders. By adopting these strategies, C-Suite executives can enhance their leadership, inspire their teams, and drive their organisations to achieve greatness.
At Breakthrough Global we’ve spent over 30 years working closely with enterprise-level businesses to make strategies tangible and transformative. Working from the top-down, we specialise in helping leaders and their teams apply these principles to transform their organisations, unleash competitive advantage and realise business growth.
So whether you’re looking to foster a Breakthrough Mindset, cultivate a culture of innovation, or build a high-performing global team, we’re here to guide you on your journey.
As the Paris 2024 Olympics inspire the world, let them also inspire your leadership. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help you bring these Olympic lessons to your boardroom.
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