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Pool&SpaIndustry AUG 2012 SPN
33 OLYMPIC STANDARDS CAN INSPIRE
Business coach Dave Gammon, advisor to a number of specialist pool and spa companies is inspired by how athletes prepare to reach their goals and sees clear relevant messages for businesses
a world class standard. I discovered that I would rather be a professional athlete than a business owner, because life is much simpler. As I read more it became clear that there were six repeating themes that are also relevant to business owners so I thought I could share them with you:
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CLARITY: An Olympic athlete has one very clear goal – GOLD. This is nice and simple and it would seem that they do little else except activity that directly relates to achieving this single goal. Once they have a clear goal, visualisation can be used to great effect.
When you started your business the chances are you had some idea of what you wanted your life to look like as a result of all the work you were going to do. Getting crystal clear about what you really want enables you to figure out a plan and provides you with motivation to push through difficult periods with ease. So is your goal written down in detail?
BELIEF: “I am the greatest. I said that to myself even before I knew it was true” – Muhammad Ali’s words are a great example of how mental state plays such a key role in sporting success. For many years it was thought impossible for a man to lift more than 500lbs. Attempts beyond 499.5lbs repeatedly failed until Valery Alexis finally lifted 501.5lbs because the scales were rigged to show 499.5lbs. Since then this record has been well and truly surpassed.
It’s the same in business. You will have a set of beliefs about your abilities, your company and even
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...there were six repeating themes that are also relevant to business owners so I thought I could share them with you”
your industry that in some way hold you back from further success. Just remember that we make decisions based on fact, opinion or guesswork so it pays to be clear which you are using.
FOCUS: I read a story about an American swimmer who failed to qualify for an Olympic team. He worked out what time he thought it would take to win at the next Olympics and set out a four year training schedule of daily training. Are you really as focussed on the stuff you need to do to build the business or are you on the hamster wheel of work that just keeps going round without moving forward? The truth is there are always more things you COULD be doing but are you doing what you SHOULD be doing?
STRENGTH: Athletes spend a lot of time working on their core strength and aerobic fitness. They know that tiny differences in fitness levels can be the difference between first place and second place. They also study and practise new techniques to improve their performance. In business I believe strength comes from knowledge and skills. Are you keeping your knowledge current? Not just pool building standards but sales, marketing, finance, team management and the other disciplines essential to a good business? Some of my clients have had the biggest shifts in their results from a single idea in a book.
DISCIPLINE: I was lucky enough to see a talk by Sir Steve Redgrave. He told us that following his
fourth gold in Atlanta in 1996 he had two weeks off before embarking on a training programme for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Without the discipline to take the actions all the clarity, belief and focus are for nothing. If you really want to build the business of your dreams you need to get on and develop your plan, enhance your sales and marketing, put systems in the business and grow and develop a team. Even if you love your business I bet you still have periods where you fail to take actions or stay focused on the important stuff. This is where the final theme comes in.
COACHING: Tiger Woods had 15 different coaches for different aspects of his game and I don’t know any professional sportsperson that doesn’t have at least one coach. A coach keeps you clear on your goals, keeps your mindset positive, keeps you focused on the right things, gives you new ideas and holds you to account so you keep taking action. So why doesn’t every business owner have a coach? There is one last thing. Athletes love what they do. That is what gets them through all the difficult training and endless laps. I love helping businesses and I think it shows in the general rise in enthusiasm in the companies I work for. Remember a business is simple, easy and fun when you let it be. Have a great month. spn
i FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
F DAVE GAMMON ( 01256 345526 :
www.basingstokebusinesscoach.co.uk
ith all the excitement of the Olympics this year I have spent some time looking into how athletes prepare to compete at
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