Gymnastics is one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics. And I think the reason is that gymnastics reminds me of leadership in a lot of ways. They both face a lot of fear in their activities. They both have the spotlight. And they both need to have tremendous balance in their activities.
A gymnast must ensure that she is able to perform her moves within the area allowed. She can’t afford to fall off the balance beam, as she is docked points in competition. Hence, she needs to hyper-aware of how far away from the edge she is at all times.
A leader also must be aware of his distance from the edge in at least one key area: how he treats his team. The two edges are clear. He can order his team around and be branded as domineering. Or he can befriend his team and be labelled as squishy. Neither of which makes a leader effective.
Hence he needs to become a gymnast. Gymnasts make micro-adjustments so that they won’t fall off. Leader must do the same.
The key to this is being in a high state of awareness. Awareness of what the team requires at all times. Someone who forces them to get things done? Check. Someone who can relax and have a beer with them? Check. Someone who knows how to switch between the two easily? Check.
Leading is difficult. So is gymnastics. But when done properly, there’s nothing better to watch in the world.
A New Source Code 