Going for gold in business

1. Going for Gold
in business

2. The Olympics have not long finished and
The Paralympics are in full swing. I feel
inspired by the strength and
determination of the athletes, and think
we could learn a lot from them.

3. There are a lot of lessons business
leaders can learn from the Olympics and
Paralympics.
Here are four things I think we can take away
from the 2016 Rio games to help us go for gold
in business in order to reach our goals.

4. Set goals and stay focused
Goals are vital both in business and sport.
Both athletes and business owners need
the motivation to keep hitting targets and
stay focused on them.
How do they do this? They set goals.

5. “You need to learn to walk before you
can run”.
The same can be said for achieving success
– you need to achieve a series of small
goals in order to secure a victory.

6. In sport, you have to build up your
stamina before you can run a
marathon.
In business, small goals will help you
achieve big ones. I’ve blogged before
about the positive effects of 90-day
planning, but even tasks such as setting
yourself a daily to-do list will help you
stay focused on the big goals.

7. Pay attention to the details
The Rio Olympic organisers came under fire
after they displayed the ‘wrong’ Chinese flag
at medal ceremonies. The differences were
subtle, but it could have been avoided with
research and attention to detail.

8. In business, attention to detail is a small
thing, but it’s a must.
Fast paced work environments mean it’s
easy to miss the little things. Whether it’s
thoroughly proof-reading marketing
material to go out or making sure your
data is correct, paying attention to detail
not only helps you make a good
impression, but ensures efficiency –
helping you on your way to success.

9. Spot and foster talent
Every Team GB sport runs a Talent Identification
Programme that screens children as young as 11 to
spot and develop the next generation of sports stars.

10. Some of GB’s young medalists
include:
20-year old
swimmer Siobhan-
Marie O’Connor
&
16-year old
gymnast Amy
Tinkler

11. Just two examples of why
supporting and nurturing
young talent can have a huge
pay off.

12. Ellie Simmonds was just 13
when she won her first
Olympic medal!

13. Whether through an apprenticeship, or
training and mentoring members of your
existing team…
investing time and effort in young talent is a
great way to give back, but also to ensure
that your business has the sector skills that
will help it continue to achieve.

14. Turn setbacks into success
With 16 laps to go, 2-time gold champion
Mo Farah was tripped up during the
10,000-meter race. However, despite the
fact that he thought he had lost, Farah
pushed on and won the race, earning
himself his third gold medal.

15. How did he do it? With a
combination of determination
and strategy.

16. Everyone can experience an unexpected
setback.
But to turn your setback into success,
you have to see it as an opportunity –
whether that’s an opportunity to try
something new, or to push on ahead to
achieve your goals.

17. When something goes wrong, think
about your goals and what inspires
you to achieve them. Then use that
to plan your strategy for recovery.

18. @SafarazAli
Safaraz Ali
What lessons do you think we could
learn from the Olympics and
Paralympics?