More Business Lessons From The Track Coach

Participants or competitors?

We all know people who thrive on competition. But today in sport “participation” is also big. It is the idea that being active and doing a sport is good but that competition thing….not so sure. For general fitness or in some levels of sport this is ok but if you truly need members of a team to win a big competition, participants are not enough. In my coaching life I make room for both types and in business I see similar things happen. Sure some people don’t have a huge competitive drive or spirit but in some cases that is OK. However, in some areas of your company competitiveness can be critical. It might be in sales or business development, but understanding the best type of person for each position and the competitive drive they need to succeed can be key to your business success.

Look for hidden talent…

I have come to be surprised at how much talent lies hidden within some people young and old. Of course, those really gifted people, whether athletes or employees make it seem easy. They make us look good, so we have to be careful not to have their “gifts” trick us into believing we are some kind of super boss or super coach. However, there are often others equally able to perform whose gifts and skills are a bit more difficult to spot and bring out. These are people who can make a huge leap in performance and deliver surprising breakthrough results. Trouble is, they can be more difficult to spot, but when we do and invest a bit more time into those people there is huge potential for results. They just need our attention and coaching.