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Podcaster Dan Smolen is in awe of Gymnast Simone Biles‘ future of work masterclass.
By far, the biggest story to emerge from the Tokyo Olympic Games has been mindfulness of elite athletes. And American Gymnast Simone Biles is the face of mindfulness at these games.
Biles exited team competition when her mind and body fell out of sync. Apparently, there is a name for such disconnection: the twisties.
What is more, Biles confirmed her Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. And neither the Japanese government nor the International Olympic Committee allowed her to take the prescribed medication which would have helped her to focus.
Yet, with so much pressure to outperform the hype, in the Olympics but also as a personal brand, Biles took great risks by exiting group competition. And yet that exit helped her teammates to secure the silver medal.
In favoring her team at the expense of herself, Simone Biles taught a future of work masterclass. Here’s why:
- Biles recognized that the team’s success and her personal wellness mattered most. The past of work was done by people who disrespected their humanity by working ridiculously long, stressful hours as if work was the entire day. Biles teaches us that the team and personal health matter most.
- She adhered tightly to the mission. Instead of hogging the spotlight like a lot of old school managers do, Biles measured success in team-focused terms.
- Biles showed us the power of the new personal brand. No longer is value exclusively about winning. On the contrary; in the future of work, our personal brands are about doing profound work that makes the world a better place. Alongside Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps, Simone Biles became a global proponent for good mental health and wellness.
Work should not make us sick. And that is why Simone Biles’ future of work masterclass is so important to teach.
Main segment starts at 3:10
EPISODE DATE: August 6, 2021