An Olympic Moment

Sometimes the Olympics really interest me. This was one of those years. Was it the venues? Was it the athletes? Maybe my Canadian heritage drew me to the television? Whatever it was, I enjoyed almost all that I saw and learned a lot from the variety of sports.

But how are the Olympics a career lesson? Those men and women in “The Games” aren’t there by accident. Long ago these athletes realized that they were good — coming to the sport with either natural talent or a self knowledge of their deficiencies and the will to overcome them. They also knew early on that to stay good at anything takes practice. But knowing you’re good (or having the grit to overcome your deficiencies) and practicing is something that we all can do. What gets them from being “a natural” to being an Olympian? A coach.

Lindsey Vonn and Shawn White didn’t get there by themselves. In the background — sometimes lurking in the shadows and sometimes right there at their side as they took to the “field,” there was someone not just urging them on like their thousands of fans, but giving hints and pointers based on expert observations — right up to the moment of competition. The athletes realize that these coaches have a huge advantage over them — and that’s why they pay them. The coach isn’t in the game; she or he is WATCHING the game.

Yet in our careers, how many of us decide that either we don’t need, or can’t “afford,” coaching? Like the Olympians, you need to decide whether your career is worth the investment. The difference between finishing “out of the medals” and on the podium might be the advice of a good coach.