Faster, higher, stronger.
The Olympic motto powerfully captures the spirit of elite sport as the desire to push to the limits of human performance.
So why are we not promoting the same motto in business?
After all, elite sportsmen and leaders share many common challenges:
– fierce competition
– shifting goals
– regular setbacks
– superhuman requirements for endurance, mental stamina and determination
Elite performance can be enhanced genetically and biochemically
When it comes to performance enhancement, elite sport has the edge compared with business.
Using the latest genetic technology to identify an athlete’s potential and inform personalised training and nutrition, elite coaches have been able to improve athletes’ performance threefold.
Despite current negative consensus on widespread doping, a future where biochemical enhancement is legalised for athletes isn’t too far. Futurist sports commentators are also envisaging a not too distant future where genetically enhanced athletes compete in a league of their own. At present doping is unfair at best and dangerous at worst.
Oxford University bio-ethicist Prof Julian Savulescu says that legalising doping would be safer and fairer, as it would level up an otherwise genetically uneven playing field and speed up recovery after gruelling events.
Approach your own performance as an elite athlete
Approaching your own performance with the same dedication and awareness of an elite sportsman is essential to continue to grow and adapt.
Becoming aware at a biochemical and genetic levels of what deficits or excesses you may be harbouring can give your performance a much-needed boost to thrive in the current demanding work environment.
And if you are still uncomfortable with the idea of artificially enhancing performance, think of it this way. Even with doping, the gruelling challenges of elite athletes or Tour the France cyclists still require outstanding technical skills as well as courage, tenacity and mental stamina.
Biochemically boosting your mental focus, increasing your energy levels and strengthening your adaptability muscle is not going to change who you are, just make you better at what you’re already good at.