Six gold medal winning insights we’ve learned from the Olympics

August 10, 2021 Guest User

For the last few weeks we’ve been gripped by the Olympic Games (alongside working very hard!) and been inspired by the athletes’ determination, dedication and grit. We’ve also learned a number of important lessons that we can take back to the workplace to ensure our teams, culture and goals are gold medal standard.

Team work

Behind every successful individual is the support and guidance of a team – both in sport and business. The idea behind a project, campaign or initiative might be attributed to one person, but they take a team to execute, and it’s important to recognise and acknowledge that. Maintaining a culture of collaboration, conversation and respect in your workplace means every success, challenge – and even failure – is shared, learned from, and a useful tool for growth.

The pandemic has meant that some employees may feel detached from their teams – as result of time away from the office, or less contact with other departments – so why not organise a team get-together to re-establish those bonds, trust and collaborative attitudes.

Strength and depth

It was difficult to watch any of the Olympic coverage without hearing the phrase “strength and depth” as a contributing factor to a team or country’s success. It was definitely the buzzwords of the Games, and it’s an important idea to take back to your organisation as we return to “normal.” Strength and depth in skillsets, experience, age, gender and backgrounds leads to diverse teams that can take on anything.

The various national and local lockdowns and restrictions have meant that many employees have been working from home, and businesses have looked outside of their usual remits when taking on new hires. You no longer have to live and work in the same area, and this has brought new life and fresh perspectives to a huge number or organisations who have seen their work, ethos and culture refreshed by the strength and depth of thinking outside the box.

False starts

They’re tough to watch at the Olympics (especially when they led to instant disqualification!) but in business false starts can actually be a blessing in disguise. If your business plan, event idea or new F&B offering doesn’t take off in the way you expected it to, it can be a useful tool to reflect on why, what could have gone better, and how it can be improved to ensure you hit the mark on your next try. Nobody plans to fail, but being able to turn those challenges into triumphs with insight, hindsight and guidance is something to be celebrated, not feared.

Here at 116 Pall Mall we suffered set-backs and false starts as we tried to reopen to guests amidst changing restrictions and lockdown rules, but every postponement gave us more time to perfect our new menus, refine our venue tours and make sure our covid-secure certification was always up-to-date before we welcomed you back with open arms.

Future-focussed

When new brands burst onto the scene it can seem as if they are an overnight success, raring to take over the market. When in fact, like athletes training for the Olympics, which only come round once every four years (or five in the case of Tokyo 2020!), the teams behind them have been working on their businesses for years. As workplaces reopen to staff, customers and guests, it can be tempting to create short terms plans and goals to try and maximise success as fast as possible. But the key to sustained and stable achievements is patience – think about where you want your organisation to be in two years’ time, rather than two months’ and you’re more likely to reach your goals, rather than burning out trying to meet too-high targets too quickly.

And the size of the goal shouldn’t dictate how long you give yourself to achieve it. Even something that seems simple, such as trying to be more organised, or aiming to work up to going back into the office three days a week, won’t happen overnight, so be patient with yourself and you’ll find these new habits are more likely to stick.

Adapt and be agile

Diving competitions at 3am. Athletics finals in the middle of the night. Who would watch that?! As it turns out, millions of us! With the time difference between the UK and Japan, many of us were worried we wouldn’t get to catch any of the sporting action, but agile television coverage, replays and a few late nights mean most of us didn’t miss much at all, proving that being agile and adapting to the situation in front of us rather than sticking to a long established routine can pay dividends.

The Coronavirus pandemic has led to many organisations diversifying how, where and what they offer – and who they offer it to – including a number of national brands going international. With this can come with some challenges; from time differences to language barriers and cultural sensitivities that need to be respected. Instead of seeing these as walls to climb, think of them as hurdles to leap over – all you need is a bit of practice and run up and you’ll clear them no problem.

The show must go on!

The biggest thing we took from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was – the show must go on! Many people (including the athlete’s themselves!) didn’t believe the competition would be able to go ahead, but thanks to the hard work, problem solving and dedication of the organisers, the preparation and hard work put in over the last five years by these talented sportsmen and women was able to be shown on the world stage.

We’ve seen this same resilience from organisations across the country over the past 18 months – from cafes and restaurants pivoting to takeaway business, shops and boutiques going digital and the hospitality industry having great success with virtual (and now hybrid) events, organisations have shown that with a bit of initiative – and a lot of hard work! – there are successes to be had, goals to be achieved and growth to be made even in the most challenging circumstances.

EVENT SPACE FOR HIRE AT 116 PALL MALL

116 Pall Mall, a historic, Grade-1 listed Georgian masterpiece in the heart of London can be hired as a venue for any kind of event, from weddings to conferences, launch parties to fashion shows.

Make an enquiry to find out more information, including arranging a personal tour of 116 Pall Mall.

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