We watched the US Women’s Olympic Gymnastic trials the other day and Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast ever, was a little off her game. Of course, she finished #1 in the overall competition, but she missed some moves on the uneven bars and fell off the beam during her routine, which is unheard of for her.

She was clearly aggravated with herself and even with the obnoxious television cameras 5 feet from her face, she did what a person of her stature always does…she went and congratulated her other competitors on their amazing performances.

The next day, Biles said that she was upset to have let the crowd down but that she, as the elder of the team in experience and age (at 24 years of age), knew that she had the responsibility to help her teammates recognizing their greatness, and preparing them for the trip to Tokyo and the 2020 Olympics.

Simone’s actions are hardly an example of our resilience notion of “bouncing forward” (although she did a great job on the floor exercise where she leapt to amazing heights). Even with what for her is a disappointment, she just moved on to demonstrate the powerful message that exists whenever we fail, which is to acknowledge our mistakes, support those who are finding success, and get ready for the next great adventure.

The Olympics will have plenty of true tales of resilience that will be played out every day and we too will have our share of challenges, perhaps less dramatic, this summer as we return to normal and create our new opportunities.

Remember, that like our Olympic gymnasts and all the Olympians, there are going to be some stumbles and tumbles but they always wind-up landing on their 2 feet and often with a medal around their neck.

Happenings

The Leadership Café
If you are wondering why it is taking so long to get your yard furniture, you will want to listen into this episode!

Sean Lydon is the founder and President of ISCM Inc, a trade consulting firm that specializes in the unique challenges of organizations with global supply chains. ISCM leverages that broad experience managing organizations that have garnered awards for their performance on projects  

In this episode, Sean talks about how supply and demand became an issue during the pandemic. Finding solutions on how companies did or did not manage their supply chains is the work that his Washington, DC based organization focuses their leadership efforts.

© Richard Citrin 2021