Anybody who knows me knows that I love watching the Olympics. Winter or Summer – doesn’t matter. I just love being part of the Olympic Spirit. This year during the Summer Games, I started to ponder what it meant to have the Olympic Spirit. Does it mean teamwork, inclusion and setting records? And how does it apply in the workplace?
According to Wikipedia, the mission of the Olympic Spirit is "to build a peaceful and better world which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The Olympic Spirit strives to inspire and motivate the youth of the world to be the best they can be through educational and entertaining interactive challenges.”
Being part of team or belonging to a group is essential to us as human beings whether on the field, in the classroom, at home or on the job. Feeling like you are part of something bigger than you are is the definition of a successful team or group.
For me the Olympic Spirit means, that it doesn’t matter where you came from, or what color your skin is, or what language you speak. Those athletes are all there for the same reason. They have dedicated themselves to the sport and are determined to compete. And thanks to the media, we often get to hear about the Olympians’ hardship stories of what it took to get there. I love listening to their stories and often times will root for the underdog.
Work teams are similar. We all have a story about our skills and experiences that we bring to the table. Taking the time to listen to each other’s stories is important, and it helps foster stronger relationships. If a team member appears not to care about my story, it doesn’t feel like a winning situation. But that shouldn’t impact my ability to complete the project (or the race). Sometimes it not always about winning – it’s about being part of the team.
Wikipedia finishes the definition with: "The important thing is not to win, but to take part", and view athletes who try their best but finish last as epitomizing the "Olympic Spirit". It’s similar in the workplace. If I contribute to the team to the best of my ability, I may not win every time but I know was part of something bigger.
This weekend I watched a movie with my son titled “Race”. It is a biographical sports drama film about African American athlete Jesse Owens, who won a record-breaking four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Jason Sudeikis, who plays his coach, basically told him to tune out all the “noise” associated with being an African American competing in the games during the Hitler era. He also stated that people are either going to love or hate Jesse for his effort and accomplishments. Either way, Jesse needed to feel good about his choices regardless of what others thought. What a great story of working through adversity in troubled times and being the bigger person!
This advice works great in the workplace as well. As an HR professional, people come to me for advice on how to deal with the noise. Often times if we all just took some more time to listen to each other’s story, there probably wouldn’t be as much noise. Part of my role is to help people tune out the noise so they can focus on their jobs similar to how Olympic coaches train their athletes to tune out the noise.
I realize that everyone may not love me or my profession. But if I continue to do the right things and am comfortable with my decisions, I hope I can make a difference in someone’s life similar to the inspiration of our Olympic athletes. So whether we are young or more tenured in our profession or within our company, we owe it to one another to demonstrate the Olympic Spirit on a regular basis and listen to each other’s story more often.
The Olympic Spirit is best expressed in the Olympic Creed: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
What does the Olympic Spirit mean to you?
Ren Ecosystem