Never say Never

08 Feb Never say Never

Biathlon is cross-country skiing twelve and a half miles like your hair is on fire, while stopping four times to shoot five tiny targets with precise accuracy. In the Olympics, the U.S. has competed in Biathlon since 1960 but never medaled.

The upcoming Super Bowl expects to draw 72,000 fans. However, in Europe, the sport of Biathlon can draw up to 90,000 fans and is only second in popularity to soccer. More surprisingly, the fans don’t boo competitors from other countries. If a skier hits a target, the entire crowd cheers or expresses sympathy when a skier misses.

What a great model for U.S. businesses– to compete with civility, to mentor younger members and to bolster the entire team, taking the long view. And when we honor our competitor’s success, it elevates all of us.

Leverage Olympic athletes’ training: rehearse with your peers; collaborate and support team members, engage trusted coaches, and if you’re in a relay/team presentation, master hand-offs to display your seamless cooperation, even when medals aren’t at stake.

The Olympics are our favorite sporting event. The athletes inspire us. They undergo incredible hardships for the love of their sport. And they do it in a way that serves as a behavioral model for all of us. Citius, Altius, Fortius—Communiter, or Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together.”