The "Corporate Olympian"

TGE is made up of a TEAM of Corporate Olympians.

As a team member, each Corporate Olympian must be clear on what is expected of him or her. Each must continually reassess their ability to deliver for the team and the time frames that are possible. Then, most importantly, each must communicate this to their team.

The Corporate Olympian succeeds through hard work
and quality communication with team members.

  • Do I know precisely what I will do this week that fits into the overall goals of the team?
  • Do I know precisely what the team member who reports to me will do this week?

As you ponder these questions about team work and communications, you may see that teamwork is really like puzzle pieces that fit together for success. You may enjoy this article about "Your Part of the Puzzle".

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I started out addressing the teamwork aspect of being a Corporate Olympian. Now let's think about the individual athleet. Here is the definition of an Olympian:

a. Majestic in manner.
b. Superior to mundane affairs.
c. Surpassing all others in scope and effect:

When one thinks of an Olympian, the ideas of great effort, long term training, and immense talent come to mind. Indeed these are essential elements of success. The Olympian goes above and beyond the call of duty.

A Corporate Olympian can learn much from the athletes. Yes, pushing hard, training, delivering above and beyond ... these are all important. But equally important is the need for a rhythm of doing and resting. One must stay fresh and able to perform at top levels. Note these concepts and comments from Olympic athleets and their trainers:

ATHLETE OVERTRAINING AND UNDERRECOVERY: Recognizing the Symptoms and Strategies for Coaches by Kirsten Peterson, Ph.D. USOC Coaching and Sport Sciences

  • “I can’t take time off! Every minute I’m not working out is a minute my
    competition has to get ahead of me.”
  • “I get my confidence from knowing that I work harder than everyone else out there.”
  • “No pain, no gain.”

Statements like these are all too common in the world of sport, particularly at the elite level, where success versus failure is often measured in the smallest of increments. Yet coaches and athletes today are walking an increasing fine line between maximizing performance and going over the edge into over training. Training loads are increasing, by some estimates, at a rate of ten to twenty percent every five years. Mark Spitz, for example, won his seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics by swimming 9000 meters per day. Within twenty years, however, the average college swimmers were surpassing this mark, and by 1995, Olympic swimmers were putting in over 35,000 meters per day (Raglin and Wilson, 2000).

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RECOVERY STRATEGIES FOR SPORTS PERFORMANCE

by Angela Calder,B.A.,M.A. (Hons), B. Appl. Sci. (Coaching) University of Canberra, ACT Australia

“If there was one single factor that helped this team to perform to the level they did at Atlanta, it was the recovery program that was put in place … and monitored throughout our 1996 program.” Barry Barnes Head Coach, Australian Men’s Basketball, 1996 Atlanta Olympic Report.

Athletes work hard to prepare and perform successfully throughout a competitive season or for major events. Unfortunately, many ignore or forget the performance benefits gained through including recovery strategies within their daily training programs. Indeed there is a tendency for many athletes to limit the use of recovery techniques to times when they are ill or injured. Yet recovery strategies have far more benefits for athletes than merely as tools to assist with rehabilitation or recuperation.