Self-Leadership & Entrepreneurship: Lessons from an Olympian.

It’s not every day you meet an Olympian. A couple of weeks ago, I did just that. As part of the IGNITE business incubator programme my start-up is currently on, we had the pleasure of spending time with our guest speaker, Olympian Rob Heffernan. Enjoyable, relatable, funny, emotive and thought-provoking, without a single slide, Rob captivated the room and explored the parallels between Elite Sport and Entrepreneurship. A master storyteller, Rob provided so much value that it would be a shame not to share the insight. If you’re on your own start-up or entrepreneurial journey, here’s are some lessons I took away from that session.

Lesson 1: People matter.

Rob talked us through the myriad of challenges he faced throughout his 20 year career as an athlete and race walker. He painted the picture of those people who lifted him up, believed in him and supported him, as well as those all too willing to put him down or tear him down.

“Walk away from the naysayers.”

There will always be people quick to point out what we’re doing wrong, why we failed or why we’re going to fail, why we’re not good enough… but the willingness to walk away from naysayers is an act of courage necessary in the pursuit of a goal, positivity, change, professional success or sporting greatness.

Lesson 2: One comment is enough to change a life – be kind.

As a young boy, on the ‘smaller end of the scale’ physically, or ‘compact’ to use Rob’s own word, Rob was often ‘written off’ when it came to sport. One single comment of encouragement from an athletics scout was enough to change his entire life trajectory for the better.

None of us truly know what another is going through – kindness or a simple word of encouragement can mean more to its recipient than we expect, and costs nothing. And while kindness often boomerangs back to us, give it generously without expectation.

Lesson 3: It all boils down to you.

Take responsibility. While surrounding ourselves with great people and walking away from the relationships that do not serve us, the fact of the matter still remains – only you can do the thing. The thing? The thing. The thing you would rather avoid, the uncomfortable, the difficult, the challenging. Be it the gruelling training regime, the ice baths or the early mornings in sport, or, the spreadsheets, the admin and invoicing in my case – the responsibility lies with you.

“You can attach yourself to any narrative to justify whatever it is you want to justify, or you can take responsibility.”

Lesson 4: A diagnosis is a good thing.

Knowing where you are, you can figure where you need to go, and how you can get there. Calculating the resources required of any journey, requires an accurate calculation of the route – of which both start point and end point are key.

How can we plan a course of action without knowing where we are starting from? How can we know how much petrol we will need, without knowing how much fuel is in the tank? How can we psychologically prepare, without knowing where we are mentally? While a diagnosis can be a scary thing, it is the starting point of empowerment and change – in business, in sport, in life.

Lesson 5: Be intentional – Control the 'controllables'.

Mindset, sleep, what you consume – control what you can control. We can choose where to place our attention: on the things within our remit of control, or those outside. In sport, a sudden injury can take us out of the race. In a VUCA business world, there is so much beyond our control.

Being intentional about our mindset, nutrition, sleep habits, the media we consume and so on, provide a solid foundation of wellbeing and self-leadership upon which success can be built – whatever the endeavour.

Controlling the 'controllables', yields repeated minor wins and repetition of positive emotion. Repeated marginal gains aid in ‘broadening and building’ (Barbara Fredrickson) our mental resources, that in turn serve us, when the ‘uncontrollables’ may not swing in our favour.

Lesson 6: Practice Mindfulness

I know I know, THE buzzword of the last few years, and a word that now grates on many people, but please don’t click out of the article just yet - let’s think about mindfulness in a very practical sense.

Mindfulness is about staying in contact with the present moment as much as possible, about focused attention on ‘the now’ (without looking back to the past where we risk regret or depression for example, or forward to the future where we risk feelings of anxiety or fear). But, what does that mean in the context of Rob’s talk on elite sport and entrepreneurship?

In concentrating on ‘the now’:

Feel the ‘failures’ fully, then leave them behind.

Equally, celebrate the wins, then leave them behind.

The only moment that matters is the one we currently have – the race we won (or lost) last week is over; the deal we closed (or didn’t) last week is past. Leaning into the present moment discourages wallowing over what went wrong, and equally discourages complacency when things are going well. Staying present encourages continual action and moves us forward with our sporting, personal or professional goals.

Lesson 7: When you think it’s all over, try one more time.

Our reserves are often greater than we realise. In sport, one more push can see us cross the finish line a spit second before our competitor, and can be the difference between medal placement, or not. Similarly as entrepreneurs, choosing to ‘go again’ can produce an entirely different outcome – securing a new client, closing a deal. The most important word in the last sentence? Choosing. Choice.

One of my favourite books is Edith Eger’s “The Choice”, a book which hammers home the message that no matter the circumstance, we always have the power to choose. In a similar vein, Viktor Frankl’s famous quote reminds us of our most powerful weapon as humans – the power to choose:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Rob reminds us of the value to be attained by “trying one more time; one more push”, crucially, if we so choose.

Lesson 8: Plan for the tough times. Put systems in place. Do the work.

A key theme of Rob’s talk was challenge. In equal measure, it was a talk of resilience, perseverance, determination and grit. Yet Rob did not place himself on a pedestal or present himself as super human. Quite the opposite; he positioned himself as ‘one of us’. What then, makes him an Olympian? Undeniably, talent and skill. Still, Rob did not give more than a minute of his time to these facts. What he did underline was the following: planning, preparation, systems.

Plan for the tough times.

Put systems in place.

Do the work.

These three sentences were emphasised at different times throughout our session with Rob. Humbly, he also shared the following, and I quote:

“ Become obsessed and put in the hours. Maybe I wasn’t even good at athletics, maybe I just worked really hard.”

He highlighted the reality that tough times are a given, especially when your business or sporting career operates at a higher level, and that contingency planning, hard work and a systematic approach to preparation is what gets athletes and businesses over the line.

Lesson 9: Look for areas of marginal improvements.

Seek incremental steps. Growth is what matters, not its pace. We’re all most likely familiar with the theory of marginal gains in sport, and yet Rob drew parallels to its place in business:

Where can you make minor changes – to yourself as an entrepreneur and self-leader, to your startup? Where can you identify areas for minor improvement?

Slow and steady progress produces significant and sustainable growth over time.

Lesson 10: Winning is outstaying your competitors.

Think you’re done? What if your competitor is just about to bow out? Can you stay in the game another day, week, month? Would you regret it if you didn’t?

Lesson 11: Switch off.

Take holidays. Have hobbies.

What may appear to be in stark contrast to the last lesson, Rob emphasised the need to completely switch off from the big thing – sport or entrepreneurship in this case – in our lives in order to conserve energy. Having an entirely different hobby, and taking holidays where we completely detach from our main goal helps in maintaining motivation.

Lesson 12: Do what you hate first.

Speaking of motivation: it runs out. It’s easy to start the working day or training session by doing the things on the to-do list that you love first. Resist temptation.

Do what you hate doing first, motivation dries up.

Ah, this one. 

Lesson 13: Welcome failure & Look for Silver Linings.

Some lessons speak for themselves. Failure is inevitable, it is how we meet it that counts. It is clear to see that elite athletes don’t achieve success by succumbing to defeat. Rather, they achieve their greatness by overcoming adversity.

“Post-traumatic growth or benefit finding is positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity and other challenges in order to rise to a higher level of functioning.

Rob’s message of “Look for silver linings” is aligned with the theory of PTG and also reminds me of Prigogine’s Theory of Dissipative Structure; by acknowledging challenge and looking for the positives that can often be found with it, we have the potential to grow from the experience, and emerge stronger, higher, better.

Lesson 14: Networking counts. Mentorship matters. Ask for help.

People. It’s all about people. We can’t go it alone. Be it in business or sport, we need people around us to help us. While we all have strengths, we all too, have weaker areas which, if acknowledged, can be complimented by surrounding ourselves with the right people.

Rob spoke about the power of networking, something which hugely impacted his course. He detailed the importance of various mentors throughout his career – not surrounding himself with ‘yes men’, but people who were able to be honest and serve home truths where necessary. Vulnerability matters – both the willingness of mentors to be vulnerable and have difficult conversations with us, and our willingness to stay in those difficult conversations and be open to the feedback. Vulnerability matters too, in our willingness to ask for help when we need it. Rob eloquently put it as follows:

“Reach out. People are kind. They want to help. Asking for support can change your life”

(For some more thoughts on vulnerability, I mentioned it in a recent article which you can read here.)

Lesson 15: Find your Marian.

I started this article we “People matter” and this lesson is full circle. Saving the best lesson for last: Find your Marian.

Rob was forthcoming in his willingness to share the countless struggles he encountered over throughout his Olympic career and beyond - grief, depression, anxiety, difficulty leaving the house, defeat and loss. Yet, one message was received loud and clear – the support of his wife Marian through the good times and bad, the peaks and troughs. I think it is fair to say that Rob depicted Marian as his constant – be that as his wife, his friend, his trainer, his business partner.

Seligman’s PERMAV Model of Psychological Wellbeing, highlights the importance of relationships as one of the cornerstone of maintaining authentic and sustained happiness. Anecdotally, the fundamentality of healthy relationships was a message that was driven home too, by Rob.

Whether ‘your Marian’ is a romantic relationship, a familial relationship or a friendship, relationships matter most. Be it in sport or in business, healthy personal relationships help us endure the most challenging of times, weather the inevitable storms that cross our path, and make the good times - the medal or the new client secured - worth sharing.

About the Author

Jen Martin LLB MAaPPCP works as a Psychological Coach and Corporate Trainer. From SME's, Multinationals and Individuals, Jen has spent the last decade gratefully working with C-suite executives, government officials, diplomats, and actors. Transitioning from law, to Training and Coaching Psychology, Jen's work has primarily been in Europe, Russia and Asia. Her psychological approach to language training for non-native English speakers, optimises business and management communication, while ameliorating mindset and decision-making, cultivating innovation and problem solving. Jen's coaching centres on cognitive-behavioural psychology for managing growth and change, harnessing positive change for individual, team and organisations alike. Passionate about supporting her work and clients with empirical evidence, through her leadership research, Jen champions and specialises in Vulnerability and Psychological Safety - promoting increased connection, engagement, commitment, collaboration, innovation and inclusion. Other areas of research interest include Self-Efficacy, Imposter Phenomenon, Resilience, Cognitive Flexibility and Optimal Performance. She is deeply passionate about fostering and leveraging human connection, the driving force behind her work and research.