Coaching Lessons From Elite Athletes (And Their Coaches)

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If you’re reading this, it must be August 17th, and that means I’m on a plane to Budapest, Hungary! I’m attending this year’s World Athletics Championships , and I can’t wait to experience this country and support all the incredible competitors, but especially my Jamaican team.?

I’ve always been inspired by the discipline, focus, and heart I see in competitions like this, not only from the athletes but from their coaches as well. It’s an important reminder that we don’t truly accomplish anything alone; the people we choose to support and guide play a big role in our success. While I’m not coaching anyone through the perfect javelin throw or guiding them on how to run a faster half-marathon, I take my job just as seriously. Just like athletes, leaders get discouraged and tired and run the risk of emotional injury if their training goes wrong.?

Athletes and their coaches have taught me so much about how to perform at peak, maintain focus and motivation, and care for myself - and how to coach my clients to do the same. Here are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned.?

It’s not about you?

I’m a big fan of Jamaican icon Usain Bolt , widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time, but I’m an equally big fan of his coach, Glen Mills . Once, I sat a few rows behind him at a competition. He was quiet, calm, and unassuming, and it reminded me of one of the tenets of coaching: it’s not about you.?

It would be easy for Coach Mills to share the spotlight with Bolt, but in those moments of winning, Coach Mills knows that it is not about him; it is the moment for his protégé to shine. As a leader, it’s about those you lead. It’s about helping them to be the best they can be; greater than what they ever thought for themselves. When they succeed, it’s about sitting quietly in the background, allowing them to receive accolades. Leaders should strive to create Bolts in their organization, without fanfare, allowing their performance to speak for itself.

Learn more lessons from Coach Mills here!

Superhumans are people, too

Athletes, like the rest of us, are human, and humans make mistakes. Even Olympians. Michael Phelps is photographed using cannabis, Usain Bolt is “caught” cavorting with women , Gabby Douglas, the gold medal gymnast, gets flack for not placing her hand on her heart during the playing of the American National Anthem. They’re not perfect, and why should we expect perfection??

Role models, be they athletes or business leaders, are subject to extremely high expectations. The pressure can be overwhelming; too much of it, and even the strongest competitors can crumble. The best coaches know that there is a person behind the high performer, and allow them to live their human lives, living, falling, learning, getting up, and pushing past their limits, just as we all do. As Coach Mills says, “Learn to lose in order to learn to win.” His thesis is that doing so will build the mental strength of the athlete by removing the fear of losing. That counts in real life, too.?

Read more about the perfection trap here!?

Look for the potential?

Great coaches always have their eyes open for potential, and it’s not always obvious. At track meets and football matches, the best coaches keep their eye on the back of the field. When Coach Mills started coaching Bolt, he recognized the raw talent within his terrible technique. Mills spent two years breaking it apart, then rebuilding his technique from scratch. It’s equally important for coaches and leaders coaching their teams to look outside the obvious high-performers and to acknowledge potential when they see it. Technique can be taught and refined, but potential is much harder to find. Look beyond current performance to see what other exceptional talents you could be missing.?

More lessons from Coach Mills!?

Relax, relax, relax

I remember the exhilarating experience of watching Usain Bolt winning Olympic Gold and breaking the 100m Men’s world record. Within 24 hours, I’d probably watched the replay at least 24 times! When I listened to his interviews, I was struck in particular by how often I heard the words “relax” and “focus”. “I am always relaxing,” he says. When we relax and loosen our tension, blood is able to flow and the entire body lightens and lengthens. But Bolt is not just relaxing for the sake of relaxing, he is relaxing with a purpose: to clear his mind and give himself space to focus. Energy channelled into a body that is relaxed, present, and ready is powerful. We can coach ourselves and others to do the same when preparing for a presentation, meeting, or speech. When we mindfully let our body and mind take charge, we are unstoppable.?

Reflections on relaxation here!?

Love what you do?

The secret ingredient to coaching: love. If you aren’t passionate about coaching, it’s pretty tough to be successful. Look at the coaches on the sidelines when they revel in their athlete’s successes. Watch the almost-childlike joy an elite athlete has when they cross the finish line. It’s easy to tell who is exhilarated by what they do, and who is just going through the motions. Those with love for what they do may be disappointed by their performance, but you can still see that the act is rewarding them. We saw this with the Reggae Girlz at the World Cup just last week when they became the first Caribbean nation to reach the knockout round, advancing in just their second appearance. They may have eventually fallen, but that hasn’t stopped them from celebrating the accomplishment, focusing on the next challenge, and advocating for themselves. That comes from love, not reward.?

Coaching is a labor of love, and it can be difficult sometimes. It’s the love for the client and their progress and fulfillment of their progress that keeps you going when things get tough. It isn’t about accolades, it’s about changing personal and professional lives. That’s the true reward.?

Love is the secret ingredient - read more here!?

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If you want to know more about my work with leadership coaching, mindfulness training, or team strategy and culture facilitation, you can find it on my website .?

Marguerite Orane is dedicated to changing the way we live and work so that we do so with joy. She coaches leaders in realizing the value that joy and happiness at work bring to people and profits. With over 30 years in strategy consulting and general management, Marguerite’s commitment is to help leaders and their teams joyfully bring strategy to life to achieve their desired results.