What the Olympics Can Teach us About Skills Based Hiring

The 2024 Olympics were amazing!? For the first time technology (streaming) made every sport accessible at any time (hats off to Peacock for doing such an amazing job).? Since I began watching every Olympics 50 years ago, I’ve never watched as much coverage or as many different sports.? This gave me a much bigger sample size with which to see the big picture and the story behind the stories of the epic and multifaceted games.

As I watched the closing ceremony and reflected on what was my favorite Olympics ever, I had an epiphany.

The Olympics offer us a real life example of execution on the core concepts that make Skills Based Hiring (SBH) such a good idea.? While there is much talk and lots of agreement about the benefits SBH has to offer, the reality is that case studies of effective SBH programs are few and far between.??

Here is a quick summary of my thoughts on the connections between the Olympics and SBH.

They provide access to those with talent, no matter where they come from.

• The games are inclusive.? The Paris games included Olympians from 206(!) different countries, some most of us have never even heard of (Hello Nauru).? No individual who is able to qualify is excluded.? The ability to participate is based purely on one’s skill and drive to compete.??
• The paralympic games will take place in Paris soon after the close of the regular Olympics and share the same planning committee and many of the same sponsors.??
• The participation of transgender athletes at the Paris 2024 Games reflects the ongoing conversation about how to balance inclusivity with fair competition. The International Olympic Committee has established guidelines to ensure that all athletes have the opportunity to compete under conditions that respect their gender identity while maintaining the integrity of the sport

They allow those with little past experience to prove themselves through achievement of success.?

• Once in the games, everyone is given an equal chance to win their event, even if they have less experience in the sport.? This Olympics saw several incredible victors who were virtually unknown in the sport and were given almost no chance of winning.? Take for instance American cyclist Kristen Faulkner, an Alaskan who was a competitive collegiate rower and was recently working as a venture capitalist.? She began cycling in local events as a way to stay fit, but soon her natural talent and drive compelled her to enter the world of competitive cycling.? Although she was relatively new to the sport compared to her competitors, her performances leading up to the Olympics proved she was a worthy contender. In Paris, Faulkner's strategic racing and endurance culminated in a gold medal in the women's road race, making her story one of the most remarkable in recent Olympic history.

• Even with little experience and no training as a sports journalist, Snoop Dogg used his natural talents and personality to become a big success as a commentator and overall ambassador, making him one of the most popular TV hosts ever!

They offer an opportunity for diversity to Increase the quality of the product for individuals and stakeholders.

• It has been proven that companies with more diverse employees perform better.? The ability to bring different mindsets and backgrounds to an organization ensures diversity of thought.? The Olympics as a whole are probably the most diverse organization on the planet and the collective offers a level and diversity of athletic performance that is clearly unparalleled, creating global awareness of other cultures and their experiences.? This opportunity has a massive impact on the value of the games for competitors and their home nations and the overall quality and ROI of the product..

• The sheer diversity of events (hello Breakin!) also creates awareness of lesser known sports, allowing access for athletes of lesser known events to share the stage and the glory while adding to the overall entertainment value. While the old school sports such as track and field, equestrian, and cycling are always favorites, I was stoked to see sports such as Breakin!!!, BMX, Surfing, and Skateboarding, and discovered and became enthralled with sports that I didn't even know existed (synchronized diving, air pistol shooting, 8 person team artistic swimming).?

They provide an environment where success is based on objectively defined and universally agreed upon terms.

• In many cases success criteria evaluation are purely objective.? For most team competitions, races and many other events in which scoring is standardized around hard numbers or scoring which is 100% clear- be first, second, or third and you win a medal.? Even if you don’t win a medal you know where you stand and you have benchmarks that are good representations of your skill level.? For other events where judging is used, the event is broken down into a set of subskills each with their own criteria and judges confer on the scores, ensuring checks and balances. This is one case where bias has little opportunity to be a significant factor in determining outcomes.??

They use objective assessments of skills to make hiring decisions.

• Making the Olympic team is the result of a thorough and on-going assessment process in which athletes are continually evaluated based on totally objective criteria that serve as predictors of their potential for success on the big stage.? These evaluations also include competitions that are almost exactly the same as those experienced in the games, making them highly realistic job simulations.

They provide verifiable, portable credentials that are universally recognized and accepted.

• Medals are universally accepted personal portable credentials that are indisputable symbols of success. But all athletes are winners and, win, lose, or draw, anyone who qualifies to participate will have a badge of honor that will travel with them forever, opening the doors to opportunity outside the sports world.???

They allow the opportunity for long term success through skill attainment and demonstration.

• Many athletes such as who were not victorious can still use social media as a platform to promote themselves and their personal brands and ideals.? Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, known as "B-Girl Raygun," with a platform to promote awareness and showcase diverse skills. Despite being eliminated early and scoring 0 points, Gunn gained significant social media fame for her unique and creative performance style, highlighting the Olympics' role in giving visibility to a variety of talents beyond traditional competition.

• The Olympics can also create a free market for talent.? In many cases athletes have the opportunity to choose which country to compete for based on their parents’ citizenship, their country of origin, or their country of residence.? This allows them some freedom of choice and the opportunity to be a source of inspiration for the entire nation and its people.? In return they gain the ability to have a positive influence, as well as access to sponsorship and lucrative perks, especially in countries who have fewer athletes or are lesser known.?

Skills assessments are used to tailor ongoing skills development. ?

• Once an athlete makes the team, they are given the opportunity to continue to develop their skills through intensive work with expert coaches.? Practices provide on-going assessments of skills, identifying clear areas of need used to drive individualized training in order to increase chances of success.? Even those who do not make the team know what they need to improve on in order to make it the next time around.

They offer an environment where individuals and organizations share in one another’s success, helping make the world a better place.

• All parties come together to contribute to the diversity that makes the game such a global success.? The International Olympic Federation, the countries who participate, their athletes and support staff, and inspired fans all over the world are all integral to both overall and individual success.? The games offer us a chance for psychological safety that drives achievement and benefits humanity.

They offer us a case study in the dualities of AI.??

As hard as I try it seems impossible for me to write a blog that does not mention AI so here goes.

• AI has both a good and bad side and balancing the two is a challenge that is not going away.? We hope the good outweighs the bad and the Olympics did a pretty good job of supporting positivity for the use of AI.

• AI is not going to take competitors’ jobs as athlete’s jobs any time soon.? This is one group that can feel confident about their job security.? But there is no doubt that AI can be a partner to help them increase their performance through new levels of insight?

For instance “Athletigen ”, is an AI platform that analyzes genetic data to provide personalized training, nutrition, and recovery plans for athletes. By understanding an athlete's genetic predispositions, the AI can help optimize their performance and reduce the risk of injury.

• But a poor use of AI (in my opinion) also provided the opportunity for a big time fail.? An ad called "Dear Sydney," depicted a scenario where a father used Google's AI chatbot, Gemini, to help his daughter write a fan letter to sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, expressing how inspiring she is. The commercial sparked backlash because it suggested the use of AI for a task that many felt the child should do on her own, thereby undermining the value of personal expression and creativity. As a result of the criticism, Google decided to pull the ad from its Olympic advertising lineup.

The Gemini ad showed clearly some of the dilemmas we face with the use of AI as potential to cheat or shortcut the learning of basic life skills.? While the child probably wrote a better letter than she could on her own, she missed a chance to practice the important skill of channeling her pure emotion through writing

The Olympics are the stuff of dreams come true and I believe they have the power to inspire us mere mortals in many ways.? So as you plan your own journey with SBH, use the Olympics as inspiration for what is possible with vision, hard work, and dedication.