This Russell Reynolds article landed in my inbox and, for a second, it was this close to ending up where most newsletters do: in the junk folder.
But I saw the title, it was about sports, and obviously I clicked.
As I read it, it made me think about something I'd never connected so clearly.
After several Ironmans, I've learned that sport doesn't automatically make you a better leader. What it does is put you, again and again, in situations with no shortcuts.
There are days when everything goes perfectly. And others when nothing goes as expected. That's where you start building skills that, funnily enough, I now use every day building a company:
- Staying calm when the plan changes.
- Taking feedback without taking it personally.
- Understanding that discipline always outlasts motivation.
- And remembering that the best results are almost never individual.
Not because leading a team is an Ironman (that comparison is pretty worn out), but because both require the same ability to show up every day, learn fast and keep moving, even when the progress doesn't show yet.
The article talks about resilience, discipline, accountability and openness to feedback. I agree with all of them.
But I'd add one more: humility.
In sport there's always someone stronger, faster or better prepared. That forces you to set the ego aside and keep learning. In business it should be exactly the same.
In the end, neither sport nor work is about winning every day. It's about becoming someone who never stops getting better.
Good piece from Russell Reynolds. It pulled a reflection out of me I definitely didn't expect from a newsletter.