This document discusses lessons that business leaders can learn from Olympic and Paralympic athletes to achieve exceptional and consistent results even under pressure. It argues that exceptional leadership is attainable for anyone and outlines attributes like guts, determination, teamwork, focus, practice, and self-belief that are shared by great athletes and business leaders. The document provides tips for leaders such as setting meaningful goals, focusing on strengths, recruiting the right talent, and sharing best practices in order to "medal" or succeed each day.

1. EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP
Delivering Consistent High
Performance Under Pressure In Your
Business

2. • Whether you are a sports fan or not, there are
valuable lessons to be learned from Olympic
and Paralympic athletes from the perspective
of leadership and peak performance.
• Today, we are going to talk about what is
needed for leaders to turn their business
strategy into consistently exceptional results,
using the examples of world class athletes to
support our view that exceptional leadership
is attainable by anyone.

3. ‘Organisations with the
highest quality leaders were
13 times more likely to
outperform their competition
in key metrics such as
financial performance.’
Source: 2011 DDI Global Leadership Forecast

5. www.positiveleadership.co.uk
graham.watson@positiveleadership.co.uk
@posleadership

6. THE FUTURE
BELONGS TO LEADERS
WHO WANT TO
WIN, WITHOUT EVER
LOSING TRACK OF
THEIR OWN VALUES.

7. VALUES X STRATEGY =
OPTIMUM RESULTS

9. ‘OUR AIM AS LEADERS IS TO HELP
THE PLAYERS BRING THEIR BEST
PERFORMANCE WHEN UNDER THE
GREATEST PRESSURE.’
José María Olazábal, European Ryder Cup Captain 2012

10. PURPOSE AND PASSION
FUEL GREAT ATHLETES
AND GREAT BUSINESS
PEOPLE

12. WHAT CAN BUSINESS LEARN FROM
OLYMPIANS AND PARALYMPIANS?
1. GUTS AND DETERMINATION
2. TEAM WORK
3. FOCUS
4. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
5. SELF-BELIEF
6. DON’T BASK IN THE GLORY

14. SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE (IN
BUSINESS AS WELL AS IN SPORT) IS
THE RESULT OF UNSPECTACULAR
PREPARATION

15. ‘IF YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK, YOU
CAN BE BETTER…YOU CAN BE THE
BEST, THERE'S NOTHING STOPPING
YOU.’
Victoria Pendleton

16. ‘I HAVE KEPT IMPROVING. I HAVE
WORKED HARD ALL THE TIME,
EVEN AFTER THE TOUGH LOSSES.’
Andy Murray

17. UNDER PRESSURE YOU DO NOT
RISE TO THE OCCASION - RATHER
YOU SINK TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR
TRAINING

18. ‘ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE – IT’S JUST
HARD WORK AND GRAFTING.’
Mo Farah

20. PRESSURE IS NOTHING MORE
THAN THE SHADOW OF GREAT
OPPORTUNITY

21. ‘IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT A WORD. I
HOPE THAT PEOPLE SEE THIS, USE
IT AND PUSH ON WITH WHATEVER
THEIR PASSION HAPPENS TO BE.’
Matt Stutzman, Paralympic Silver Medallist

22. Ten Reasons Winners Keep Winning
1. Good Mood
2. Attractive Situation
3. Learning
4. Freedom to Focus
5. Positive Culture of Mutual Respect
6. Solid Support System
7. Better Press
8. Invitations to the Best Parties
9. Self-determination
10. Continuity

23. How Can You ‘Medal’ Every Day?
1. Words Create Worlds
2. The Power of Dreams
3. Marginal Gains
4. Talent Team
5. Results with the Right Behaviour Matter
6. Winners Do Not Feel Pain
7. Motivational Job Titles Work
8. Dealing with Failure
9. Success Breeds Success
10. The Impact of Support

24. How Can You ‘Medal’ Every Day?
11. Succession Planning Matters
12. The Power of the Mind
13. Athletes Concentrate on Their Strengths
14. Meaningful Goals Create Involvement
15. Launch in Style
16. Focus on Your Game
17. Proactively Recruit the Right Talent
18. Share Best Practice
19. The Home Advantage
20. Manage the Cultural Legacy

26. RETHINKING LIFE’S STRESSES

28. ‘Organisations with the
highest quality leaders were
13 times more likely to
outperform their competition
in key metrics such as
financial performance.’
Source: 2011 DDI Global Leadership Forecast

30. “Be the best. It’s the
only market that’s
not crowded.”
From: ‘Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best
Independent Stores in America’

31. IMAGINE
DARE TO DREAM
HAVE A BIG VISION
HOLD ON TO YOUR VISION
…..AND PURSUE IT!

32. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP LIMITED CAN HELP
YOU DELIVER CONSISTENT HIGH
PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE IN
YOUR BUSINESS, PLEASE CONTACT:
graham.watson@positiveleadership.co.uk
www.positiveleadership.co.uk

33. Twitter: @posleadership
TWITTER TOP 100 LEADERSHIP EXPERT

34. www.positiveleadership.co.uk
© 2012 Positive Leadership Limited
Presentation by Lady Vol RW