As well as serving as a timely reminder of triumph of the human spirit, here are some other important leadership lessons we can extract from this year’s Olympic competitors:
Jason Kenny and the power of grit
Following his heroics in the Izu Velodrome, Jason Kenny has now cemented his place in history as Team GB’s most successful Olympic athlete. Whilst this in itself is a phenomenal achievement, what seems equally astounding is the fact that Tokyo was the fourth Olympic games Kenny competed in. Despite having collected a total of eight gold medals in Beijing, London, and Rio respectively, Kenny has seemingly remained undeterred in his continued pursuit of performance excellence. In attempting to fathom how someone who has won every accolade in the sport can maintain such a strong intrinsic determination for self-actualisation (especially after16 years of competing on the elite world stage), we cannot look beyond that most valuable yet often underappreciated of psychological characteristics which Kenny perfectly personifies: grit.
Defined as passion and perseverance in the pursuit of meaningful goals, grit is an attribute which has come to be associated with high level performers within a number of diverse domains extending from medicine and the military to sport and the performing arts. As such, should we aspire to emulate Kenny’s success within the world of business, it is important we as leaders and managers take the opportunity to get to grips with the DNA of the gritty performer. This extends to:
Harnessing harmonious passion: Grit requires passion, however if we allow our passion to become obsessive (i.e. you feel compelled to keep going and do not know how to stop), we risk burnout. Consequently, we must seek to maintain a continued sense of harmonious passion (i.e. where we feel in control and know when to stop) when pursuing our long-term goals. In Kenny’s case, he has been able to achieve a sense of harmonious passion through maintaining between balance between his athletic and personal identity.
Fostering purposeful persistence: Persistence, much like passion, can be both healthy and unhealthy. Rather than demonstrating stubbornness or refusal to quit, grit requires us to show tenacity when faced with difficult and challenging obstacles and promote a collective positive belief that these obstacles can be and will be overcome. Much like elite athletes, managers and leaders will often face unexpected adversity on the road to long-term success. In these difficult times, we must seek to foster persistence through remembering our “Why” (i.e. the purpose or belief that drives us), whilst also seeking to positively reinforce and reward the display of persistent behaviours.
Encouraging experimentation: To remain on top of his game, Kenny has been willing to experiment with different forms of training to maintain a much-needed competitive edge. In the context of grit, experimentation has been linked to hope; a positive cognitive state which enables us to cultivate an optimistic and proactive approach towards idea generation and problem solving. Through continual experimentation we open ourselves to new opportunities for growth, which in turn creates new avenues for success.
Caeleb Dressel and a lesson in gratitude
After helping Team USA achieve gold in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay, American swimmer Caeleb Dressel did something never seen before in an Olympic games: he awarded his medal to Brooks Curry (a Team USA compatriot who had swum in Dressel’s stead throughout the qualifying rounds). When asked what inspired his thoughtful gesture, Dreseel responded “I had the easiest job last night out of everyone here. I got to watch it on TV. So I felt like Brooks deserved that a little more than me.”
Looking beyond the context of sport, Dressel’s actions remind us of the importance of gratitude. In fact, when it comes to effective organisational functioning, a little gratitude can go a long way (especially in regard to boosting mood, enhancing productivity, and improving working relationships). Granted, we may not have the capacity to start handing out Olympic gold medals, however, we can attempt to foster a culture of gratitude through actions such as:
Articulating employee strengths: Conversations regarding employee strengths should not be an exercise reserved for annual reviews. Encourage frequent and episodic displays of gratitude through actions such as appreciation forums (e.g. platforms which allow team members to share what they admire about their colleagues) or spontaneous gestures (e.g. emails, notes, or informal interactions) in which you take the opportunity to remind others of the positive impact their work is having on the success of the organisation. Articulating strengths not only fosters collective gratitude, it also serves as a catalyst in which to enhance individual motivation and self-efficacy.
Promoting effort over excellence: Whilst we of course want our top performers to know they are valued and appreciated, it’s important to work toward creating a culture of gratitude which is built on a foundation of effort and perseverance. By placing greater emphasis on collective effort rather than individual excellence (e.g. simply rewarding our top salesperson), we enhance opportunities to foster a collective sense of gratitude across the whole organisation. Effort and perseverance are internal qualities which can be continually cultivated amongst all individuals, regardless of skillset and talent. Consequently, expressions of gratitude based on the display of effort and perseverance will serve to perpetuate these positive behaviours and ultimately, drive long-term business success.
Personal investment: Feelings of reciprocal gratitude can be greatly leveraged by demonstrating an active interest in the professional development of our employees. As well as taking into consideration practices associated with a servant-oriented leadership style, it’s important we seek to enhance our ability to provide detailed developmental feedback, so that our employees possess a clear roadmap for competency development. Taking time to aid in our employees’ professional growth will not only make them grateful for our stewardship, it will also help reinforce the notion that we value and appreciate them as individuals, and genuinely care about the person beyond the employee.
Simone Biles and the importance of mental health
One of the most captivating stories to come out of Tokyo 2020 was undoubtedly Simone Biles decision to prioritise her mental health and withdraw from the women’s team gymnastics final. This brave (and for some, controversial) decision to pull-out of such a grand event served as a timely reminder that anyone can be vulnerable to the perils of mental ill-health. In Biles case, it was widely reported that issues with her mental health were directly impacting upon her performance and manifesting themselves in the form of “the twisties” (a phenomenon where a gymnast will lose their sense of space and dimension as they’re in the air, causing them to lose control of their body and risk serious injury). Whilst our job roles may not require us to perform somersaults, cartwheels, or handsprings, make no mistake; we are all performers, and poor mental health can have a serious impact on our workplace performance if left unaddressed.
Considering poor mental health costs UK organisations in excess of £47 billion a year, perhaps it’s time we take a leaf out of Simone Biles book and start making mental health a priority. As leaders and managers, we must never underestimate our sphere of influence in creating and sustaining and mentally healthy workplace culture. Nonetheless, we appreciate some leaders may lack confidence when it comes to navigating such a precarious issue and as such, we encourage you to focus on the three Ps:
Prevent: As well as avoiding unnecessary stigma through advocating transparency when it comes to conversations around mental health, it’s crucial we do all we can to protect our employees, through mitigating the impact of salient work-related stressors (e.g. excessive workloads, poor work-life balance, and lack of support). If left unaddressed, these stressors can quickly impact upon our workplace performance and wellbeing, and eventually lead to burnout. Consequently, when it comes to mental health, a ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.
Promote: As well as working to prevent stigma and protect our staff from excessive stressors, we must also seek to understand the conditions underpinning a mentally healthy working culture. According to influential psychologist Martin Seligman, positive mental health (also referred to as flourishing) is underpinned by six core conditions: (1) the experience of positive emotions; (2) feelings of engagement; (3) the cultivation of positive relationships; (4) finding a sense of meaning and purpose in one’s work; (5) deriving a sense of accomplishment from one’s professional endeavors; (6) experiencing feelings of vitality (you can find out more about leveraging flourishing here).
Provide: Mental health should not be regarded as a short-term initiative, but rather a central facet of our organisational strategy. We must strive to provide resources which reflect our sincere intention to continually safeguard mental health and wellbeing. From providing continual opportunities education and training regarding the five pillars of wellbeing (physical, mental, social, financial, and spiritual) to the integration of wellness action plans, we must be willing to invest in appropriate provisions. Considering the benefits associated with creating and sustaining a mentally healthy workplace culture, we believe it’s a worthwhile investment.
What leadership lessons have you taken from this year’s Olympic heroes? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Sources
Allen, S. (2018). The science of gratitude. John Templeton Foundation.
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of personality and social psychology, 92(6), 1087.
Fehr, R., Fulmer, A., Awtrey, E., & Miller, J. A. (2017). The grateful workplace: A multilevel model of gratitude in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 42(2), 361-381.
Jachimowicz, J. M., Wihler, A., Bailey, E. R., & Galinsky, A. D. (2018). Why grit requires perseverance and passion to positively predict performance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(40), 9980-9985.
Memish, K., Martin, A., Bartlett, L., Dawkins, S., & Sanderson, K. (2017). Workplace mental health: An international review of guidelines. Preventive Medicine, 101, 213-222.
Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster.