7 ways to give your business Olympic success

Unless you’ve been on Mars, you’ll know that the 2012 Olympic Games in London are fast approaching.  Have you ever considered that you could use the same model for your business?

What can the Olympic Games teach you about running a successful business?

You should be striving for Gold in your own business.  I don’t mean swimming around Lake Pupuke at sunrise or filling up on pasta and carbohydrates before an important meeting.  Equally, I discourage you from running up Queen Street with a giant torch and fake medals around your neck just to get attention.

But I do mean that you should challenge yourself to achieve bigger and better results and strive to be the best at what you do.  So what’s my advice for emulating a gold medal Olympian?

These are just a few ways you can emulate them:

Discipline:  If you want to become the next Hamish Carter, you must have heaps of self-discipline & motivation.  Could you wake up at the crack of dawn, swim for 90 minutes, then hop on a bike for 120 kilometres and then with the cycling over  run for 20 kilometres – 6 days per week?  That’s the discipline of a true champion.

Passion:  Olympic competitors love what they do and without that love and passion they would find it much harder to motivate themselves when the going gets tough.  Equestrian, Mark Todd, will compete at his 7^th Olympic Games in London.

If you enjoy what you’re doing in your own business then your dream will be much easier to achieve.  It’s obvious – enjoyment and passion breeds success, so if there are parts of your business you don’t like then don’t despair – look to delegate or outsource those parts. Successful business owners know the importance of leverage.

Determination:  It’s not always easy to reach the top and many athletes experience set-backs such as injuries and nagging self-doubts.  But their inner drive, persistence, desire and commitment to achieve greatness keep them going.

When Ted Morgan won New Zealand’s first Gold Medal in 1928 in boxing he fought men much bigger than him despite fighting with a dislocated knuckle sustained before the games.  How do you handle set-backs?

Focus:  By staying focused and ignoring the distractions around them, winners focus on the big prize.  They set goals and regularly evaluate themselves so they know that they’re on track to achieve them.

Rob Waddell set himself a goal to win Gold after disappointment in Atalanta.  He decided to focus on single sculls events and achieved his dream by winning Gold and our only medallist in Sydney.

How many goals have you set for your business?  If you haven’t, how will you know when you’ve achieved success?

Coaching & training:  Un-surprisingly, many Olympians pay credit to their coaches for the significant contribution they have had on their success.  Successful coaches inspire, offer experience and encourage.  They also know the importance of good training and the benefits of following proven training programmes.

Double Gold Medallist at the 1996 Atalanta Games, Danyon Loader, attributed much of his success to his long-time coach Duncan Laing.  How would your business improve with the help of a coach?

Sportsmanship:  It’s possible to be a great athlete and be humble and respectful at the same time.  Watch how an athlete reacts to defeat and how they treat their competitors & team-mates. Displaying humility and respect during competition will often say a lot about an athlete.

Gold Medallist at the 1960 Rome Games, Murray Halberg, has worked tirelessly for the good of all Kiwi sportspeople and remains a people’s favourite.  How do you incorporate these traits when dealing with your customers?

Confidence:  An Olympian may be the biggest, strongest or fastest but strong self-belief and confidence makes all the difference.

Bejing Gold Medallist, Valerie Adams, recently announced that she has become fitter, stronger, faster, and more confident in her technique and is well prepared for London.  Confident athletes have abundant heart and self-belief.  Do you?

So sit back, cheer on your favourite athletes later this week and adopt the same winning attitudes they show to get your business in a gold position.  If you’d like to talk with us about coaching your way to success or setting goals, please contact a Business Advisory Services consultant on 09 449 0417  We’d be delighted to get you to the top of the podium!