Working World

The Olympic ceremonies and performances of the 2008 Games are history. For the high-profile winners of gold, the future holds fame and endorsements. For other Olympian-caliber athletes, the future means four more years of hard training preparing for 2012 in London. But what about us ordinary mortals? Are there lessons we can apply to our own lives and careers?

Lesson 1 – Start with the Basics
To excel at any sport — at any occupation — you’ve got to get the fundamentals down. Basic skills you must master to keep your job and to get ahead. Can you name those skills in your own work? How many can you say you’ve mastered? Are there weak spots in your skillset? Identifying the basics calls for high-quality training. Mastering them calls for plenty of…

Lesson 2 – Practice, Practice, Practice
Knowing the basic skills of your job is not enough. To be competitive, Olympic athletes spend countless hours practicing the basics, strengthening areas where they’re weak. It’s obvious that practice pays dividends, yet how many of us actually set aside time to practice and perfect our own on-the-job skills?

Lesson 3 – How’s Your Mental Game?
Every activity, sport or work, has its mental side, starting with concentration. Athletes are famous for their ability to stay focused on the task at hand.

If the boss were standing behind you looking over your shoulder, could you maintain focus and do your best work?  Are you easily distracted or rattled by the pressures of multi-tasking, a noisy workplace, an interrupting coworker? Paying attention to the here and now is a skill that can be learned and practiced.
 
Lesson 4 – The Perils of Passion
A big part of the mental game is managing our emotions. Are you crushed by criticism or plagued by fear of failure? Are you oversensitive or prone to angry outbursts or feelings of frustration or depression? Getting down on yourself can, and will, hurt your performance and job satisfaction. Face and accept your feelings.
 
Lesson 5 – How’s Your Work Ethic?
The Olympics are a celebration of the work ethic. Work ethic: a passion for perfection — trying to do a quality job, not shirking, resisting the urge to gab on the phone or surf the Web when you should be working. Employers can easily spot the employee with a strong work ethic and tend to value them.
 
Lesson 6 – What Are Your Natural Gifts?
Every person comes into this world naturally good at something. That’s your gift, talent, knack. And there’s no surer path to success than finding your talent, training it and turning it into a career. Why spend your life as an bookkeeper when you were born to be a nurse or an artist? Why not exploit to the full the gifts you were born with?

Lesson 7 – Love It or Leave It
We all have bills to pay, but don’t stop looking for work you enjoy! Why? Because we tend to perform better at work that gives us pleasure. Countless people have gained job satisfaction — and boosted their income — by turning a hobby (which they enjoy) into a career. Why settle for workdays that feel like a prison sentence?

Lesson 8 – Don’t Hate Your Mistakes
Everyone, in every sphere of life, makes mistakes. Too many errors in sports and you’re a benchwarmer. Too many at work and you lose the raise, the promotion, the job. How should you handle your mistakes? Not with worry, fear or anger. Mistakes are valuable lessons. At the close of each day, look back over the workday, identify your mistakes and correct them. Never beat yourself up…improve and move on!
 
Lesson 9 – We All Need People
We’re social animals, we need people for encouragement, advice, affection and just plain fun. Athletes have coaches, trainers, friends, family and fellow athletes. Real friends don’t just give us uncritical support; they also tactfully point out our blind spots and negative habits.
 
Lesson 10 – Learn from the Best
There are peak performers in every workplace. Don’t just admire or envy them. Ask yourself: What sets Joe or Mary apart? What skills, character traits, mental qualities or work habits make them so darn good? If you pick up enough performance-enhancing tips by modeling yourself on winners, you’ll be next month’s Most Valuable Employee.
 
Lesson 11 – Your Body Is Your Foundation
Physical conditioning is not just for high-level athletes. We all have the same need for fitness in the office, shop and factory. Whether your job is manual or mental, you need stamina, energy, strength. It’s never too late to start a good personal conditioning plan that includes exercise, the right foods, enough sleep, and going easy on the booze, tobacco and OTC drugs.
 
Lesson 12 – Starting “Young” Means Starting Now
It’s amazing how young some Olympic athletes are when they recognize their inborn talents and start their training. The benefit is obvious: Skills learned and practiced in childhood become second nature, as natural as breathing. On that foundation, a successful career can be built. For the rest of us, starting young means starting now. It may sound like a cliche, but isn’t today really the first day of the rest of your life?

Our dozen lessons come from watching, and listening to, the 2008 Olympic athletes — find the one that speaks to you and put it into action. Start collecting your own gold medals.

Burt Wetanson is a freelance writer who has contributed over 60 articles to Working World. His goal: “to give readers practical tools for success in the tough LA career market.”