The Tip of the Iceberg
The London Olympic Games was more than a competition; what was at display was the outer
limit of human potential. More than 10,000 athletes representing 204 National
Olympic Committees fought hard for the nine hundred and sixty two medals. It
was an awesome treat to watch the competition.
However, what was seen by audience and
spectators across the world was just the tip of the iceberg; the performance of
the athletes did not give us any idea of the sweat, blood and tears which goes
into making of an Olympian. At times the
international press highlighted the life stories of the star athletes but those
short stories can never capture the challenges which these athletes overcome.
It is for this reason and according to the Olympic spirit everyone who
participates is considered a winner.
There Are Some Common
Traits
Irrespective of the medal status or the
country that the athlete come from, every Olympian starts with a dream and
purpose and has to cross the four phases of learning: unconscious incompetence,
conscious competence, conscious competence and finally unconscious
competence-mastery. There are personal
sacrifices involved not just from the aspiring Olympians but also from those
around them, some parents came close to bankruptcy others put their life on
hold to allow their children follow theirs.
The journey to mastery is full of pot
holes, doubts and mini mile-stones. The clarity in the mind gives strength to
the individual to stay the course. Before the Olympian develops self confidence
the belief is mostly external.
What Can We Learn From the
Life of Olympic Athletes?
Actually a lot! First, the summit to
mastery precedes several bends. Second, accepting that we don’t have a particular
skill (unconsciously incompetent) requires courage, self awareness and confidence.
Next, as we begin the journey we see first-hand how hard it is to get it right;-we
commit mistake after mistake (conscious competence); and finally we arrive at
the destination (unconscious competence). Last but not the least, upon reaching
the summit one realizes that there is no room to relax- others are fast making
their way!
By the way the time frame from each passage
cannot be preset and nor it is guaranteed. Injury or a single voluntary or
involuntary mistake can derail the best plan. It is for this reason that only
10,000 athletes represented a population of 7 billion.
Four Lessons for the Business
World
We live in a world which is undergoing
unprecedented changes. The job that the employee was hired for, is not the same job that he is doing today. It
means new skills have to be learnt in order to be relevant. As the employees
learn new skills and behaviours they too have to undergo the four stages of
learning. The role of the immediate manager is critical in the process. Mentioned
below are the four lessons from the life of an Olympic athlete for the business
world:
1.
The
learning cycle applies to every new skill being learnt; an experienced manager
can accelerate the process but one cannot avoid the four stages.
2. A learner requires greatest amount of
support when he moves from unconscious incompetence stage to the conscious
competence one-this is the stage when mistakes occur; competence is on the rise
but the confidence is usually wayward. This is because on his own the learner
is not aware that he is actually moving forward. For this reason, at this point
external support is critical.
3. The manager should be willing to observe
and demonstrate correct technique in case required. Access to balanced feedback
is required during the different stages of learning.
4. Just like the Olympics every inch forward
should be celebrated. Improvement in one area generates a ripple effect on
other parts of life.
Arie
de Geus said, "learning is the only true competitive advantage. Learn faster than
your competitors or fall behind.” This axiom applies to one and all.
