With the eyes of the world on Paris, France, for the 33rd Olympiad, which events are you looking forward to? Do you know that the surfing competition will take place 9,770 miles away from Paris in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia? In the spirit of previous leadership series here on my blog, I've asked 17 leadership and marketing experts to respond to five questions with the hope that both the questions and answers lead you to think about the Olympics in new and interesting ways.
For today's post, I'd like to introduce Amanda Hahn-Peters based in Los Angeles. Amanda is a copywriter, content writer, and marketing strategist that collaborates with creative business owners and impact-driven brands to uncover and share the stories that connect them to their audience and build trust. Additionally, she is a former professional triathlete-turned-endurance coach and has assisted many teams throughout her 14-year coaching career - and now coaches age-group runners and triathletes through her endurance coaching business, AHP Endurance. When she isn't writing or coaching, Amanda enjoys traveling, reading, attending theater productions, and spending time with her husband and cat. She is also a lover of musicals who thinks in song lyrics - on Twitter/X, her pinned post is: "If you could swap your email sign-off with song lyrics, what would you choose? Defying gravity, Amanda." Anyone else a fan of WICKED?!
Before we begin, here are my two favorite quotes about the Olympics:
"In baseball and in business, there are three types of people. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened." ~Tommy Lasorda (Team USA Baseball Manager in 1984 and Olympic gold medalist)
"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does — that makes you a winner right there." ~Venus Williams (Team USA Tennis, 4-time Olympic gold medalist)
QUESTION: What Olympic MOMENT do you most vividly recall, and why?
AMANDA HAHN-PETERS: This is a tough question as so many iconic Olympic moments come to mind! I've watched so many gold-winning, record-breaking moments in my lifetime and feel like it would be easy to name one of them. But, the truth is, the Olympic Movement goes way beyond winning medals. In fact, there are 10,000+ athletes (as of 2021) who compete at the Summer Olympics and only 339 events to medal in. At its core, the three main values of Olympism are excellence, respect, and friendship.
One Olympic moment that embodies these values took place during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games, and more specifically, the 5,000 meter (Track & Field) preliminaries. Abbey D'Agostino of the United States was running closely behind Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand when Hamblin fell, taking D'Agostino down with her. Instead of quickly getting up and running again (as is often the norm), Hamblin stopped to help D'Agostino up. Due to this incredible act of sportsmanship, both runners were allowed to compete in the final, despite not finishing in a qualifying spot. However, Abbey D'Agostino could not compete due to injuries sustained in the fall.
QUESTION: What Olympic MOMENT OR EVENT stands out due to EITHER a lack of OR evidence of LEADERSHIP?
AMANDA HAHN-PETERS: When two-time Olympian Simone Biles withdrew from the Women's Gymnastics team and individual all-around competition in the 2021 Summer Olympics, citing mental health concerns, her decision immediately drew worldwide attention and many critical reactions. However, in a culture that tends to see burnout as a badge of honor, Biles' decision to withdraw represented a courageous act of leadership.
First and foremost, Simone Biles acted as a leader by putting the weight of ego and expectations from others aside to make room for the strongest team on the day to compete. And, by putting her mental health first, the most decorated gymnast of all time sent a clear message that mental health, while mostly invisible to outsiders, is just as important as physical health. In hindsight, her actions were largely responsible for starting a more extensive conversation around the role of mental health in sports and the importance of athletes receiving mental health support in the form of counseling and therapy.
On the world's biggest stage, Biles proved that mental health mattered more than television ratings and pleasing others. Ultimately, the best way to support her teammates that week was by cheering on the sidelines.
QUESTION: What Olympic SPORT demonstrates effective and/or inspirational leadership?
AMANDA HAHN-PETERS: One Olympic sport that demonstrates effective leadership is rowing. Unlike most other Olympic events, rowers deal with constantly changing weather conditions, and therefore, must be adaptable. Quite often, athletes change their game plan during the race due to water and wind conditions and must decide which sections of the course to put more force into their rowing strokes and which ones to coast and conserve energy to achieve the best result. Their ability to trust their training yet be open to adapt under pressure is admirable.
Additionally, rowing requires the rowers and coxswain (the athlete who gives verbal commands and steers the boat) to work together as a crew, with no team member more important than the other. The better they work together as a team and synchronize their efforts, the quicker the boat moves through the water.
QUESTION: What is an important BUSINESS LESSON we can learn from the Olympics?
AMANDA HAHN-PETERS: If you want to be successful, surround yourself with a great supporting team. In team events, this may look like filling the team roster with individuals whose strengths balance out and support other team members well. In solo events, a successful team can be defined as the coaches, physical therapists, nutritionists, masseuses, and other team members who work together to help an athlete reach their peak performance. Even though the athlete is the one performing in the spotlight, there's no way for them to reach the top of the podium without the support and insight of their surrounding team members.
In business, this looks like creating a team of employees who are committed to mastering their individual roles, supporting the company mission, and striving toward shared business goals.
SHARE THIS: If you want to be successful, surround yourself with a great supporting team. ~@AHahnPeters #OlympicsLeadershipSeries #DebbieLaskeysBlog
QUESTION: If YOU competed in the Olympics, which sport would you choose, and why?
AMANDA HAHN-PETERS: Even though I was a professional triathlete from 2007-2015 and competed to earn a spot on the US Olympic team, the sport of gymnastics has always had my heart. I fell in love with the 1996 "Magnificent Seven" US Olympic gymnastics team and even got my hair cut as a nod to my favorite childhood gymnast, Amanda Borden.
I'm captivated by the amount of precision it takes to master the multiple skills needed to compete in elite-level gymnastics. Further, each event requires a different skill set, including speed, power, coordination, stability, and balance. Mainly, I'd choose gymnastics because I'd like to feel what it's like to fly off a vault, or backflip on a 4-inch wide balance beam. I'm always up for a challenge, and in terms of sports, gymnastics seems like the ultimate one!
My gratitude to Amanda for sharing her leadership insights and for being a part of my #OlympicsLeadershipSeries.
Image Credit: Matteo Vistocco via Unsplash.
For more about OLYMPISM, the philosophy of the Olympics:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympism
Lessons from Simone Biles and the Olympics (2021):
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lessons-learned-from-olympics-jeffrey-simmons
Connect with Amanda at these links:
Website: https://www.amandahahnpeters.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-hahn-peters
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/AHahnPeters
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahahnpeters
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment!