So why would you do it really?

As I watch the Olympics, I am inspired by these wonderful athletes and their desire for success and Olympic medals. But why do they do it? I mean, really, four years or more of preparation for sometimes 10 seconds of competition and it is over, mostly forever. There are a lot of sacrifices for that 10 seconds, so why do they do it? More importantly how can we apply to our businesses what we learn from this?
 
1. Goals - there is a goal and a looming deadline with milestones along the way. There is a clear vision of what the end goal is and what the athlete is working towards. Many athletes use visual prompts, for example, Natalie Cook had the Union Jack printed on all her equipment in her lead up

2. Team work - every single Australian athlete, regardless of whether their sport is an individual one or not, is part of a team, the Australian team

3. Motivation - every athlete has a motivating factor or factors driving them whether it is to represent their country, doing it for Mum and Dad or that they want to be the best in the world. Their coach is acutely aware of these motivators and uses them to pick the athlete up, when they flag

4. Opportunity - there is the opportunity, often fleeting but inspiring all the same. Think of all the sportsmen and sportswomen who undertook all that preparation over the past four years only to fail to make the national Olympic team, sometimes by a fraction of a second

5. Engagement - levels are really high and sustained and with engagement comes increased performance - the same as in business

6. Olympic values - the Olympics Values are clear and aspired to by the majority of athletes and those who emulate them are remembered. Just think of 'Eric the Eel' - who else was in his race? I know I can't remember, but I remember Eric 12 years later

7. Being part of something bigger than just you - there is that sense, with a history and future beyond your role. It is the magnitude of the event including more than just sport, but art, dance, singing and music

 8. Money - for some there may be a financial reward but, for most, their families have sacrificed money, holidays, time and sleep - but I suspect if you asked them whether they would do it all again, they would

9. Reward - for most the reward is knowing that they performed at their best, they made it to the Olympics, they were cheered on by a nation and they pushed their bodies and their minds to the limit

 It also makes me think of the fabulous Volunteers who receive no monetary reward but apply in their droves for an opportunity to be involved and largely do an excellent job, with minimal training and no previous experience.

I truly believe that applying these some attributes with your employees can help productivity and let's face it we all need this help with Australia ranking poorly in comparison with other OECD countries measuring productivity. Do you know what motivates your employees? What would motivate them further? Do they understand the goals of the business? Are you rewarding them and I don't mean purely from a monetary sense. Maybe it is time to put some Olympic spirit into your business and go for gold!!!!

Natasha Hawker owns Employee Matters Pty Ltd; an HR Consultancy that assists small to medium businesses with their HR functions to make them more efficient and profitable. Their offering includes HR Management, Recruitment, Training, Coaching, and Exit Management – find them at www.employeematters.com.au