The 2008 Summer Olympics
article posted: 149 days ago
The Olympics are a great show with athletes from all over the planet coming together to compete with each other in peace. I’ve been to a number of games over the years and sitting in the massive Olympic dining area one can observe an impressive parade of humanity passing by. There are giant hoopsters like 7 foot 6 inches Yao Ming, burly middle-Eastern weight-lifters, beautiful six foot plus women volley-ballers from Russia, Cuba and the USA, swimmers and tracksters with their shaved heads, and diminutive gymnasts barely four feet tall. Some athletes, blond, fair-skinned come from the northern polar regions, some are coffee-colored, and others are blue black skinned Olympians from equatorial Africa. They come from cities, mountains and desert regions. All are there to be the best they can be. All proudly wear the colored tracksuits of their countries. It’s a rainbow of healthy, talented young people with dreams of glory.
I’ve been consulting with Olympic athletes since 1984. Primarily, I help them develop and strengthen what I think of as their high-performance programming; thoughts, images and feelings that will give them that competitive edge. Many have been training for years for an opportunity to excel in an event that may last a few seconds or a few minutes. And with the world and their countrymen watching, the pressure to excel is enormous.
Over the years I have worked with Olympians from half a dozen countries in close to twenty different sports. For these summer’s Games I’ve worked with athletes (and coaches) competing in baseball, field hockey, shooting, and soccer. It’s a pleasure to work with talented individuals who are motivated to be the best they can be. The training is important. The lessons they learn here apply to every aspect of their lives. With the impact I’ve seen mental training have on performance and with the pressure the athletes face in the Games, I believe more could and should be to support these athletes in the area of mental training.
Of course there’s controversy over the Games being held in China this year. As an emerging super-power and the world’s most populous nation, China deserves the chance to host the Games. And, there is no doubt that the country will put on a great show. The venues they built for the competitions are excellent, some of the best in the world. Further, much of the Chinese public appear to be very positive, excited, and proud to be hosting the event, and meeting and welcoming foreigners.
However, the story is not all positive. On the negative side is the smog… both atmospheric and political. While in Beijing for the World Cup of shooting in May the smog was terrible… the worst of any city I’ve ever experienced, (and I lived in Los Angeles for five years) and not at all ideal for competition.
Perhaps even more disturbing then the heavy air the athletes will encounter for the two weeks of competition is China’s long standing poor record regarding freedom and human rights. While the Chinese people are friendly, the powers that be in China are repressive. Tibet and Somalia are current realities. Dissident opinion in China is simply not tolerated. Nineteen years after the student uprising in Tianamin Square (which led to the death of hundreds of students) a number of students are still incarcerated.
Questions continue to be raised about the relationship of national politics and Olympic participation, and whether host nations should have a positive record on the environment and human rights. As debate continues let the Games proceed.
There are aspects of the show in Beijing that look a little like a Universal Studios orchestrated performance. However, it’s clear the Chinese have made a remarkable effort to put their best foot forward and host an incredible planetary event. I certainly hope that the interactive experience of the world coming to China and China hosting the world will lead to an ongoing opening and a needed freeing up within the country. Most of all, I look forward to the athletes performing to the best of their abilities and keeping the true spirit of the Olympics alive.
Why Teams Win and Meaningful Purpose
article posted: 172 days ago
Why are some teams winners? Why do some teams fail? Why is that teams with seemingly less talent are more effective than the competition? For the past twenty-five years I have been working with teams; all kind of teams…in sport, business, and health care.
In the process I have defined nine keys that differentiate the winners from the losers… and determine why some organizations succeed while others struggle and under achieve. I discuss the nine keys in a book I am just completing entitled, Why Teams Win. I’ll be discussing the nine keys and many other performance issues in my blog. Today, I would like to share a few thoughts on the first of the nine keys. That is, having a meaningful goal and living with a sense of purpose. .
Healthy people have a natural desire to excel. They want to succeed, to contribute to and be a part of something of value. Winning teams present a meaningful opportunity and challenge to their members. Whether it’s to win the championship, be the best, provide a quality product, a valuable service, or make the world a better place to live and work, the members of winning teams share the belief that what they do and what they are striving for has meaning and value.
Research has shown that when a person believes that they are engaged in a meaningful pursuit it’s both energizing and sustaining. A strong sense of purpose generates a kind of ‘soul power’ that nurtures drive and success. Bottom line, people with a meaningful goal are willing to work harder, persist longer and endure more. And all of these qualities lead to success.
People will invest heart and soul in a process they care about. Care is a word of the heart (coeur is heart in French) and love is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Love gives and reflects meaning. People who love what they are doing, who love the game, and love the challenge are energized and actually face the task at hand with more power. Conversely, and I’ve seen this time and again, when people believe or feel that their performance doesn’t really matter, experience their energy and enthusiasm fade.
We all live and work with others in ‘teams’. And each of us contributes to the success and well-being of the teams we operate in. I want to encourage you from time to time to look at the path you are on, the way you are playing the game. Explore how you feel about the challenges you are facing, and consider what you can do to bring more meaning, heart, and impact to those challenges… and to the teams you live and work in.
Bob Ackles
article posted: 182 days ago
Bob Ackles passed away the other day. Since his passing many people have commented what a good fellow Bob was and what a truly wonderful story his life was. That is certainly my experience of Bob. I first met him in the early 80’s when I was called on to work with some of the BC Lions players. Sport psychology was a relatively new concept and Bob was completely open to the idea. I think it was characteristic of the man to be open to any good idea that could help his team. He was a positive person who created positive results and had a positive impact on those around him.
Bob was a model in a lot of ways. His rise from volunteer waterboy to team president in a football career that spans 50 plus years is legendary. It is a positive example for anyone of what can be accomplished if people work hard, stay focused on their goals, and treat others as they would want to be treated. I last saw him a year ago when his book was published. Though a modest man he was clearly and justifiably pleased with what he had accomplished.
It’s been said that success of a man’s life is in the journey. I recall Walter Peyton, the great Chicago Bears running back being interviewed after the Bears won the Superbowl following many years of struggle. Peyton said it’s good to win, but the great thing about it all was the journey.
Bob’s journey was and is a remarkable exercise in living and a model to us all. He was small in stature but he certainly had a big footprint. He left his mark, he will be appreciated, and he will be missed.