Leadership Lessons from the 2024 Paris Olympics

I can’t help myself – I always see things through the lens of leadership. I only watched the 2024 Paris Olympics because my wife and daughter are big fans and I was outvoted. But as usual, while watching the events and reading the news, I saw several lessons that could be applied to leadership. Here are eight of them for you to consider.

1. Grit

How would you like to have the title “Youngest Male Olympic Track and Field Gold Medalist in History” on your profile? That is what Quincy Wilson, a 16-year-old high school student, accomplished in Paris in the men’s 4x400m relay. This came as a result of a lot of perseverance and sacrifice. Quincy invested countless hours of sweat equity and practice while some of his peers were out having fun, sleeping in, and enjoying free time. When leaders treat themselves as too fragile and seek comfort over commitment, they will find excuses for quitting rather than energy for remaining committed to their goals.

2. Self-confidence

U.S. rugby player Ilona Maher has been critiqued for her weight even though she is a strong, exceptional athlete. I love the way she responded to the social media shaming about her weight with this confident response: “I am considered overweight. But alas, I’m going to the Olympics and you’re not.” At some point, most leaders will get slammed with criticism, but a self-confident leader will not allow that to poison their minds or control them. Instead, they will speak truth to themselves.

3. Drama

Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso was allegedly kicked out of the Olympic Village for creating an “inappropriate atmosphere.” While the story is murky regarding the circumstances, one thing is not so murky – this situation created a lot of drama for the Olympics, her country, her swim team, and even for her. Drama is not uncommon in organizations and teams, but it can be a major distraction to the team and the overarching mission. Some people thrive on drama and others get sucked into drama. But the outcome is often the same – distraction. Leaders need to keep drama in the school club and out of the business. 

4. Managing Change

The U.S. men's 4x100m relay team missed their shot at a medal by a botched handoff that resulted in a delay and ultimately a disqualification. In seventh grade track, I learned how to pass the baton, yet I would have trouble successfully passing it even if I was sitting down. Just like relay runners can fumble the baton, leaders too can fumble managing change in areas such as delegation, onboarding a new staff member, and implementing a major change initiative.

5. Courage

U.S. diver Alison Gibson had a bit of trouble with her preliminary 3m springboard dive when her feet hit the board which caused bruising, bleeding, and a score of 0.0. But you have to love her positivity and courage. Even after receiving a 0, she continued on with her remaining dives and finished 28th out of 28. She had the wisdom to look at the situation from a different perspective with these words: “One thing I hope that everyone who is watching just was able to see what it looks like to get up and keep going even when things don’t go the way you want them to.” That’s the kind of courage leaders need to lead well.

6. Fairness

We all want life to be fair, but it really isn’t sometimes. U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles learned that in such a painful way when her bronze medal for the floor exercise was stripped from her by the IOC due to a highly questionable technicality. Jordan can quit in protest over this unfairness or keep going, not allowing the unfairness of life to control her response. Her previous display of grit makes me think she will move on and prove herself once again in the future.

7. Talent

I was never encouraged to be a collegiate athlete let alone an Olympian. Why? Because my parents and coaches were smart. Rachael Gunn represented team Australia in break dancing, a first-time event for the 2024 Olympics. Poor Rachael. She lost each of her three round-robin battles 18-0 which even I, with my limited expertise of the Olympics and break dancing, can understand is not good. Leaders who promote or encourage team members to pursue areas that are outside of their talent zone are not helping them. They are hindering them and setting them up for a future “0.”

8. Culture

Paris is an old city, and the Seine River has been polluted for a very long time. In fact, it has been so dirty and infested with E. coli bacteria that swimming has not been allowed in it for decades. In preparation for the Olympic swimming events like the triathlon, Paris spent $1.5 billion to clean it up. But even after that great effort, the dirty river was still often a cause for concern in the media. This reminded me of how much harder and more expensive it is to clean up a dysfunctional organizational culture than it is to keep it healthy from the start.

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Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.