What Has the First Weekend of the Olympics Brought Us?

Italian skier Christof Innerhofer, from the South Tyrol region, wins silver in the men's downhill. SSON's staff around the world have been glued to their TV screens this past weekend – and from the breathless opening ceremony to the stunning mountain backdrop – nothing has disappointed. What stands out is the dedication of athletes from every corner of the world; not just predictable mountain regions like Austria, but also, unexpectedly, island nations in the Caribbean. Here’s what stood out for us as lessons that we can all take away from the 2014 Olympics. 1. It’s not about age. Just see what the 15-year-old Russian figure skater, Julia Lipnitskaia, achieved in the women’s skating event. Youth has a certain fearlessness about it and, of course, benefits from the lessons of those that have gone before. With vast numbers of companies still in the planning and launching phases of shared services, we can look forward to lots of great things to come as newcomers leapfrog over the hard-won achievements of longer established centres. 2. Partnerships define success. This year, ice-skating is a team effort, covering a number of different disciplines. That means that unexpected shortfalls in some areas are compensated by strengths in others, and the athletes notably support each other. The Russian team, buoyed up by their home team advantage reigned supreme. Encourage the same mutually supportive culture throughout your team. 3. Continuous improvement will get you there. Ask Russia's Albert Demchenko, competing in his 7th Olympics, or Italian Armin Zoeggeler, competing in his 6th. They get better and better as they fine-tune their technique. Take note of young Ty Walker from the US slope style team, who is making her Olympic debut. As you launch new services in your own organisation, first, make an impact and let them know you’re there, then build on your delivery. Be patient and if you don’t get immediate results, rethink your strategy and try again. 4. Hard work pays off. The athlete profiles that accompany the competitions tell the story of the long journey many of them have taken to get to Sochi: financial sacrifice to maintain the training and international travel; gruelling hours on the slopes or the ice to perfect the skill; school put on hold to prioritize the sport. But the smiles on the podium make it all worthwhile – not just for the athletes, but for the coaches and the supporters around them, too. Train your staff, hold them to high standards and celebrate success. 5. Think cross-border. It’s impressive to see how many of the contestants have taken the opportunity to check out their competition at international events, or train in other countries. A number of international athletes are at colleges in Colorado, where they can access the slopes easily, after classes. A Russian skating coach trains both the top US and top Canadian woman’s figure skaters. That tells you something about leveraging global locations and benchmarking performance against others. Take the opportunity to pick up a few tips from other operations, whether internal or external, to further your own practice. 6. Not everything is measured by speed. Many are judged according to performance. Don’t fall into the habit of believing that you’re delivering great results based on 'days outstanding' or 'turnaround times'. In many cases, it’s the service that the customer remembers, or the quality. But, it’s in slivers of time, or fractions of points, that competitors differentiate themselves. Success can run on very thin margins so don’t take your eye off the ball. 7. Learn from each other. How is it that the Dutch did not just take the gold in the 5000-metre speed skating, but the silver and bronze, as well? Team Netherlands made a clean sweep of this sport. Success breeds success. Encourage a culture of winners, all feeding off each other, and watch your combined capability grow. ...and finally, our favourite Olympic moment so far? Britain’s Jennie Jones (below, right), who trains on Astroturf at home (no snowy mountains in the UK), posting a tremendous performance in slope style to home take the bronze. [eventpdf]

What Has the First Weekend of the Olympics Brought Us?

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