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This week, the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team made Olympic history, winning a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Games. The team broke a nearly 90 year streak without winning a single medal–and this year, they’ve won two. “There’s a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction,” said Tom Steitz, a coach who’s worked with the team for 22 years.
Steitz, founder and CEO of 3 Peaks Consulting, says the victory in Vancouver proves something about success that’s as valuable to Olympians as it is to Fortune 500 executives. “For me, our company has always been built on the premise that the same tenets that apply to successful leadership in teamwork–whether it be in the corporate area or the Olympic area–drive and promote success.”
Steitz knows a lot about both worlds, having coached Olympians at both the Winter and Summer games, and working with corporate executives at some of the world’s top companies.
And yet Steitz, who’s in Vancouver to work with athletes and corporate clients, says the two jobs aren’t different at all. “It’s the same job. I’m literally going from coaching medal-winning athletes in the morning to working with some of the biggest business leaders in the afternoon, and the conversations are almost the same.”
Steitz says at the height of athletic achievement in Vancouver, coaching doesn’t involve telling a skier how to hold a ski pole–the work involves “building relationships and staying strategic”–exactly the kinds of things Steitz zeroes in on with his business clients. “Everyone’s under tremendous pressure, whether it’s Olympic athletes with the whole world tuning in to watch, or corporate executives trying to get a return on investment.”
And Steitz says he’ll be bringing his experience with the Nordic Combined Team in Vancouver back to the board rooms to talk to executives about teamwork–and reaching success that had been out of reach, even for years. “There’s a sense of security in being on a strong team, and knowing that your teammates are going to work with you and not allow you to fail. That’s really what allows great Olympic athletes and successful CEOs to keep charging ahead.”
So who’s faster–an Olympic skier or a high-powered executive? CoachReporter Mark Joyella got the answer in this podcast interview:
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