There is a lot of news about Michael Phelps at the Rio Olympics.
Not surprising as he has just won 21 gold medals (as of 10 August). This the highest haul of gold medals won by any athlete of any sport, of all time. The closest ever is former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina with 9 gold medals.
On Tuesday, 9 August, Michael Phelps was gearing up for the 4x200m freestyle relay when his swimming cap tore in two. Michael turned to the first leg swimmer, Conor Dwyer who handed him his cap, and Michael went on to anchor USA team to victory.
This brought to mind another equipment malfunction at the London Olympics in 2012. At the 200m Butterfly final, as Michael Phelps dove into the pool, water started to fill his goggles. By the time he was into the final length, he was completely “blind”. He soldiered on… and he not only won, but also broke the world record.
What do we learn from Michael Phelps about success in business?
It is the relentless pursuit of being “prepared” and “ready”.
Michael Phelps knew exactly what he wants (to win) – he had a plan and he practiced day-in, day-out to achieve that plan. He was so well prepared that knew exactly what he had to do, even blindfolded (literally). He knew exactly how many strokes he had to do per length, when he had to do the turn, when he had to stretch to finish, etc. to achieve his plan. Nothing was left to chance!
In business we need a well defined vision and goal (eg to achieve 12% increase in sales, 2% ahead of market) and a good plan how to achieve. When you have a good plan – prepare well and follow through on execution day-in, day-out, track and track execution to achieve success.
For more information on Performance Tracking and Management, talk to PAL Solutions.
Read more about Michael Phelps at the London Olympics in the link below