Olympic Lessons for OPSA and Me

I love the Olympics. Watching the Beijing Olympics is even better because of how much I respect and like the Chinese people. Here are a few lessons I've been reminded of while watching the games:

1. Family is what it's all about - Most athletes look for their families after they compete. Although competing for god and country are important, it's the people closest to each of us that makes life wonderful. The people of OPSA are what make it fun and interesting for me.

2. Success takes time - When I hear the stories of all the training and work these athletes undertake I am reminded that hard work over time, based on a plan, leads to success. Our business has a very long selling cycle. From the time we meet a potential new customer it typically takes nine months to a year until we realize our first sale. I often get impatient with this. I need to keep a focus on the long-term, while balancing the short-term, but we as a company need to get better at long-term planning.

3. Mistakes are learning opportunities - There are so many stories of athletes who failed in some way and built on that experience to find great success. I read a biography of Lincoln this year and that also reminded me about the value of perseverance and optimism in the face of adversity. Mistakes are problems are part of life, how one deals with them is the important thing.

4. Respect is to be given freely and earned consistently - I noticed the differences between two Olympic stars - Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. Phelps seems to have genuine respect for his team mates and competitors. Bolt acts arrogantly and disrespectfully. I predict over time Bolt will mature and improve his behavior, but that Phelps will be more admired for this Olympics.

5. Working together is better than working individually - Seeing players that individually aren't that strong compete so well as part of a team reminds me again about the principle of synergy. This is a tough one for me as much of my work in OPSA is individual effort and I'm sometimes a little detached from the team working here in Green Bay. I need to keep looking for opportunities to collaborate with the OPSA team and the OPSHK team.

6. People want to be around and work with others whom are fun and create fun - It's interesting to me that Shawn Johnson seems to get more attention than Nastia Liukin even though Nastia won the individual all-around gold. I believe the main reason is Shawn seems to easily smile and to be truly enjoying her experience while Nastia looks more serious and stressed even after she wins.

Enjoy the rest of the Beijing games!