The CEO as Elite Athlete: Beyond Generic Analogies to Real Performance Insights
Jaime Torchiana, M.S.
President, Exemplary Performance?? Marquis Who's Who in America USAT Team and 4X All-American Duathlete??
When I came across McKinsey’s latest article (Jan 30, 2025), The CEO as Elite Athlete, I found myself both nodding in agreement and feeling frustrated. While the comparison of CEOs to athletes holds truth, the advice offered feels overly generic—concepts like time management, grit, and resilience barely scratch the surface of what it truly takes to perform at an elite level in any field....or boardroom.
As someone who has been lucky enough to stand on more than one global podium in world-class multisport events, I’m always intrigued by the intersection of sports and business leadership. Faithful readers know I’ve personally written and spoken extensively on this topic, using real-world lessons learned from racing through life (as a duathlete and mom of a teenager ??).
What’s missing from this read is a nuanced understanding of the mental toughness, deliberate practice, and constant refinement required to bridge the gap between “good” and “world-class.” For those of us who live it, the insights go much deeper than just “manage your time well” or “prioritize critical tasks.” And what about those of us who can't delegate to an entire team or don't have 2-3 executive administrators to help book travel and manage our calendars?
???For these individuals, the key lies in ruthlessly prioritizing and simplifying. Instead of creating a 'tight but loose' calendar, they may need to identify just one or two non-negotiables each day that will have the biggest impact on their performance. Efficiency doesn’t come from endless resources; it comes from clarity on what matters most and being unapologetic about focusing your energy there. After all, even the most elite athletes don’t have unlimited support; they optimize what they have to achieve extraordinary results. (I've been competing in triathlons on a road bike after all! ????♀???
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Elite performance, whether in sport or business, is about building systems to benchmark against the best, developing sustainable habits to use when under pressure, and adapting dynamically. It’s not just inspiration—it’s flawless execution.
This is why my team and I focus on reverse-engineering the accomplishments of top performers and scaling them across organizations. If you’re looking for more than just high-level platitudes and want to dig into the real factors that elevate performance, I’d love to continue this conversation!!
#Leadership #ExemplaryPerformance #Excellence
Enabling and nurturing a high performing sales community through engaging learning experiences | Global Sales Onboarding Lead at Avanade an Accenture & Microsoft company
1 周YES Jaime!! I had to sit with this "Efficiency doesn’t come from endless resources; it comes from clarity on what matters most and being unapologetic about focusing your energy there." for a few minutes. As always great insights and perspective!
Jaime, thank you for this add to McKinsey's article. I'm not always a fan of sports analogies for leaders because they often miss what you have identified. Successful CEOs and Leaders focus on what they have to work with and then optimize from there. Acknowledging that people all start at different levels with various skills, experiences, and even muscle endurance for those athletes. Working from that place to get to excellence is how success is built, whether as an athlete or corporate leader.
Authentic Leader | Presidents Club | Problem Solver | Customer Focus | Empowering Solutions | Strategic Partner
3 周I need to implement those 1-2 non-negotiables each day! Thank you for the reminder!