Simone Biles wins gold in both sport and leadership

When Simone Biles beat out her US teammate Sunisa Lee in the all-around for the gold medal last week, Biles invited Lee to hold up the American flag with her, demonstrating the leadership qualities of sharing the spotlight and applauding your teammate's success, writes columnist Jason Aten. Biles modeled the behavior she wanted to see in her team, says Jennifer Dulski, CEO and Founder of Rising Team, and showed outstanding leadership when she put her mental health first in 2020 and pulled out of most of the games and then ignored critics who questioned her decision.

Put it into practice: Sunisa Lee says she had to overcome imposter syndrome after winning gold following Biles' decision to drop out in 2020, and Biles noticed, commenting on how much better her competition had gotten, Aten writes. Dulski notes that Biles made it through her struggles thanks to an extensive support network that included teammates, coaches and family, something leaders need to assemble for themselves even in the best of times.

Ranking ourselves in terms of how we compare to our peers -- or especially those above us -- can undercut our confidence and lead to imposter syndrome, writes management consultant Marc Cugnon, who recommends a mindset change: The only person you're competing with is yourself. "When that light bulb went off in my head [...] I suddenly found myself with a new reserve of mental energy, which I was able to devote to helping others shine," Cugnon writes.

Put it into practice: One of the best ways Cugnon found to break through his comparison habit was to "find ways to define myself that didn't appear on a business card." After that switch, Cugnon writes: "I become more grateful for growth opportunities and chances to promote the betterment of my team and environment rather than simply my standing within the organization."

It's easy to spot a disengaged employee -- listen to them, and if they say "they" instead of "we" in reference to your company, they're not engaged, writes Ron Johnson, the managing director and co-founder of Blueprint Creative. Re-engage those team members by using author Daniel Pink's advice to provide them with more autonomy, purpose and mastery, Johnson advises.

Put it into practice: If there's just one team member using the word "they" to talk about your company, providing them with a sense of autonomy, mastery and purpose may help, but if it's more than one, you may have an organizational problem, Johnson notes. "Because 'they' employees don't see themselves as valued members of your organization, these employees are less likely to be team players and less likely to work well with their colleagues in a collaborative manner that benefits the organization."

Save time as a leader by using the "4-bucket rule" to delegate tasks, telling your direct reports to either decide themselves, decide and report back to you, recommend an action or send it back to you for a final decision, writes economist Bill Conerly. Periodically review all time management systems, Conerly recommends, including what issues you should spend more time on and what you can give to others.

The surprise favorite food among athletes at the Paris Olympic Village is not a traditional French pastry but a rich and decadent chocolate muffin, identified as Coup de Pates' Maxi Muffin Chocolat Intense. Olympic Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has become a social media sensation for his enthusiastic and comedic videos with the muffins on TikTok, which he found in the dining hall as part of his high-calorie diet required for intense training and competitions.

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Imposter syndrome is something that I'm familiar with. When I was in my 20s and was left all alone in a radio station to do my shift and handle any emergency that came up by myself, I keenly felt it. Who were these crazy people entrusting their radio station to a child? I felt that way the first day I walked into CNN, not as a tourist but as an employee. I had ten years of experience under my belt, but this was the big leagues! Who was I to be there?

It's even stranger to think that Olympic athletes are not immune to these kinds of feelings. Even Sunisa Lee felt it after winning gold in the all-around gymnastics competition at the 2020 games after her teammate Simone Biles dropped out.

Marc Cugnon's advice to look for ways to improve yourself in areas that are outside your business card rings true. Once we realize that the only measure of our skill is against ourselves (are we better than we were yesterday, last month or last year?), then we free ourselves from crippling comparisons to others.

As Cugnon wisely notes, "[I]f you aren't spending all your time looking in someone else's bowl, you'll manage to fill yours up a lot faster."

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