Paris 2024: Career lessons from the Olympics

I’ve been trying to think about the angle for this Substack post all the way through the Olympics.

Every time I thought I’d found my ‘moment’, another one happened! I went down the rabbit hole of watching Simone Biles and then also watched her documentary, Rising, on Netflix.

Surely she was the hook? Re-entering the arena, overcoming trauma…

Day by day, another athlete showcased skills that were, well… beyond.

They showed how determination gets you to a podium - but not always. They showed how it’s ok to cry when you don’t get the top marks and beat everyone else to the goal.

There was Georgia Bell in the 1500m, the headlines saying she’d gone from ‘Parkrun to Podium’.

In swimming, Sharon van Rouwendaal dedicated her gold to her dog, Rio.

The lessons just kept - keep - on coming.

The thing with the Olympics that I think is the main take away for me when it comes to careers is about goals, tenacity and being you. It’s about focus. For all of these people, they have set their mind to one big goal, and focused in hard.

For many, they have niched in to that focus (hello, Raygun the breakdancer) fiercely and unapologetically.

There is a well-known phrase of ‘staying in your lane’ but often in the Games this is literally what people need to do. To stay in the lane they’re in and focus down hard at that finish line.

Of course, the Games have made me think about the glory of winning, whether it matters and the pain of not getting the gold when it might be your only chance (at least for another four years). They have made us all imagine what might be possible, to see people hitting their dreams HARD and sharing that joy.

And the importance of a coach. Every one of those athletes has a coach - and a coach can really help you get to those huge goal moments. As a coach I love seeing the progress clients make, seeing them stay focused on what they need to do, on keeping the noise of everyone else out of their mind, of working towards their own gold, silver or bronze.

There’s also one more thing - they’ve reminded me how much I love Tom Cruise. Sorry not sorry.

Share your Olympic career lesson in the comments!

And here’s to the 2024 Paralympic Games which begin on August 28th.

xJenny

p.s. thanks to those who commented and voted re the name of this substack. It’s going to stay ‘The Cardigan Brigade’ for now. I appreciate your insight!