Risking everything for greatness
It is a relatively well-known fact that one member of Team ICC has managed to earn a living out of his love of snow-covered mountains and outdoor activities (we’re looking at you Kenton Cool), so it would be remiss of us to ignore the Winter Olympics.
In fact, we would like nothing more than to bring the Winter Olympics into the ICC #VirtualCoach spotlight this week. We’ve only had a few days of competition so far and already there is so much to talk about: the ice skaters have prompted a wave of nostalgia by setting their ice dances to 90s music; an Olympic record was broken on the speed skating track by Norwegian Sander Eitrem; and Milan showcased its fashion muscle at the opening ceremony.
But of course, one story has eclipsed all others: Lindsey Vonn rupturing her ACL a few days before the final of the Women’s Downhill and then suffering a hard crash during the race. Emotions were running high from commentators and fans alike as we watched her being airlifted from the ski slope, to be treated for (what we have since learnt) is a complex tibial fracture.
There are so many ‘Leaders Lessons’ that we can take from Vonn’s 2026 Olympic participation, here are a few:
- Don’t wait for perfection: Lindsey chose to put herself on the start line despite pain and uncertainty. Waiting for ‘perfect readiness’ would have meant a missed opportunity for her.
Leaders rarely find themselves in situations of ‘perfect readiness’, and we routinely urge our clients to discover their ‘decision-point’ and to favour ‘progress over perfection’.
- Make resilience a habit: Vonn’s determination has been honed over years of training and competition. She has experienced many injuries, setbacks and comebacks, which have made her resilient to whatever life throws at her. The only reason she was able to race with her injury, was down to the intense training of core, quads, glutes, and hips. Physical resilience.
We have all heard the phrase, “It isn’t about how hard you fall, but about how capable you are to get back up again”. A valuable lesson for us all.
- Commit fully and accept the consequences: Lindsey powered out of the starting blocks in full competition mode, committing herself completely to the race and leaving no margin for error. Very quickly after the crash she shared that she had ‘no regrets’.
Leaders regularly need to make difficult decisions that commit them to a specific approach or project. This requires a level of ownership and accountability that can be challenging to accept, and often more difficult to convince others.
- Be professional in failure: after the crash, Vonn didn’t blame conditions or others. She took full responsibility and shared some heartfelt words: “We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is also the beauty of life; we can try.”
We regularly explore learning from our failures and not being scared to try. Lindsey Vonn’s willingness to try, and ultimately her failure with the world watching, is a timely reminder of this.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has summarised the Olympics better than we ever could: The Olympics remind us of a core life lesson: greatness and heartbreak live right next door to each other. You can’t find greatness without a few meetings with heartbreak and failure.
Lindsey Vonn was willing to put herself on the narrow ledge teetering between greatness and heartbreak because she understood that’s how ambitions are realised.
Whilst it’s unlikely that any of us are going to be competing at Vonn’s level, we are utterly convinced that we can learn from her resilient and composed reaction to getting to the start line, despite her injury, and her acceptance of the consequences of crashing out. #bemorevonn #BELV
