Arnab D’s Post

In the spirit of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and having worked with professional athletes and Olympians for many years, I often draw inspiration from sports analogies. Today, let’s talk about the hurdle race—a demanding event requiring the speed of a sprinter, the flexibility of a gymnast, and the agility of a fencer. Hurdling is all about running and jumping over obstacles at speed. As you set out on your path to greatness, think of it as a hurdle race. You’ll need to move fast, be flexible, and overcome every obstacle in your way. The hurdles will be high. In the Olympics, each hurdler faces the same challenging height. On your journey, you might be tempted to set your hurdles lower, thinking it’s easier to manage. This is what I call ‘unfulfilled potential.’ Allowing unfulfilled potential can kill your dream. Lowering your hurdles means you won’t challenge yourself or discover your true capabilities. For those seeking greatness, every hurdle needs to be as high as possible. Setting the bar too low is a common mistake. Every person has the potential to excel, but they need self-belief and support. In a team, this comes from recruiting, hiring, training, and proper equipment. As an individual, it’s about an unwavering belief in yourself. Now is the time to set yourself up, assess those hurdles, and step up to soar. Don’t just aim to clear the obstacles—aim to reach your highest potential.

🏅🎉 Celebrating Team GB's Continued Olympic Success! 🎉🏅 Team GB are shining at the Paris Olympics! Each medal symbolises not just individual brilliance but the collective effort, #support, and strategic planning behind the scenes. It's a testament to what can be achieved when #talent is nurtured, and every team member plays to their #strengths. I am certainly drawing #inspiration from Team GB and applying these principles to #future recruitment strategies and #businessgoals: 🔥 #Passion & #Drive: Whether it's securing a new client or achieving a sales milestone, our passion and drive lay the foundations to success. 🎯 #Strategy & #Planning: Behind every medal and business win is a well-thought-out strategy. Setting clear goals and planning meticulously leads to outstanding results. 🤝 #Teamwork & #Collaboration: A winning team isn't just about star performers. It's about how well the team works together, leveraging each other's strengths and supporting one another. 🏋️♂️ #Resilience & #Adaptability: Both in sports and business, setbacks are inevitable. The key is how we bounce back, adapt, and keep pushing forward. It’s key to celebrate every win (big or small) and remember that with passion, strategy, teamwork and resilience, success is always within reach. 🚀🏆 Follow Team GB’s amazing performance: https://lnkd.in/dwqHXAYe #TeamGB #Olympics #BusinessSuccess #Recruitment #SmallBusinessWins #Teamwork #Leadership #Achievement

"Run your own race" One of my favorite messages in the Australian kids' show Bluey is "Run your own race." I often use this phrase to encourage my 5-year-old daughter when she compares herself to her friends. Recently, I came across an interview with an Australian Olympic bronze medalist that beautifully expands on this idea. She said: "It's a careful balance of wanting that medal but not needing it... Not needing it for your own self-worth... but wanting it, saying 'Yeah, let's give it a crack and be tough, and if it doesn't happen, the sun will rise tomorrow, but let's give it a go.'" Her words resonated deeply. In our professional lives, it's so easy to get tangled up mentally when we compare ourselves to others or cling to a rigid definition of success. I find this a powerful reminder that our profession, like sport, "...is about community, a sense of belonging, making friends, and…learning amazing life skills like dedication and leadership." In the end, success isn't just about the medal, promotion, or sale—it's about daring to step onto the field and "give it a go." #ProfessionalGrowth #WorkLifeBalance #LeadershipLessons https://lnkd.in/gQGMq2aa

In the competitive world of international sports, the bond between javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem stands out for its camaraderie and sportsmanship. Despite being rivals, they exemplify the true Olympic spirit by supporting and uplifting each other. Their friendship teaches us valuable lessons applicable beyond sports: - Prioritizing collaboration over fierce competition - Embracing mutual growth instead of zero-sum mentality - Nurturing relationships beyond immediate objectives Their actions remind us that success can be achieved by lifting others up, not tearing them down. Let's emulate this spirit of camaraderie in our professional endeavors, fostering a culture of support and cooperation in our workplaces and industries. #Sportsmanship #ProfessionalGrowth #Leadership #Collaboration Read more about their inspiring story: [Link to Article]

How inspiring! As someone who values creativity, it's great to hear her say how important creativity is in sport, where it's mostly based on objectives, performance stats and data. I have loved watching you at the Olympics Lisa Carrington, you do New Zealand proud. As a budding paddle sport enthusiast I am in awe of the speed, the rhythm and how majestic top paddle sport athletics make it look. such a pleasure to watch. Lisa Carrington exclusive: The power of creativity and the importance of staying grounded:

I couldn’t help but be inspired by Arisa Trew’s incredible performance at the Paris Olympics. At just 14, she won gold in skateboarding with an infectious joy! Arisa’s attitude is a powerful lesson for us all, especially those of us leading teams and running businesses. She approached her competition with a refreshing perspective—treating it as a chance to have fun with friends and push her limits, rather than succumbing to the pressure. As leaders, it's easy to get caught up in the grind and lose sight of the joy that brought us to this point. Just like Arisa, we need to embrace our passion for what we do and celebrate the journey, not just the milestones. Here are a few takeaways from Arisa’s gold medal moment that resonate with me: 💘 Stay Passionate: Approach your work with the same enthusiasm and love that Arisa shows for skateboarding. It’s infectious and drives results. 🙌 Embrace the Journey: Success is about more than just outcomes. Enjoy the process, learn from each challenge, and celebrate the small victories along the way. 🤸♀️ Keep It Fun: Find joy in your work and bring that positivity to your team. It creates a motivated and engaged workforce that’s excited to tackle any challenge. Let’s bring a bit of Arisa’s joy into our own work. After all, when we love what we do! #Leadership #Recruitment #BusinessSuccess #JoyInWork #Inspiration #WoodfordeGroup

I am truly inspired by the remarkable success of the 2024 Olympic Games 🏅 They remind us of the incredible power of shared joy, collective achievement, and the true essence of boldness 🎉. Being courageous isn't just about the strength to compete or the will to win; it’s about stepping up to new challenges, facing the unknown, and pushing our limits. Every athlete perfectly embodies what it means to be bold. They take risks, embrace challenges, and show us that real growth happens when we dare to go beyond what we once believed was possible. In HR, being bold means fostering a culture where innovation, open communication, and the pursuit of ambitious goals are not just encouraged—they are celebrated. It’s about empowering teams to conquer the fear of failure and recognizing that every step forward, no matter how small, is a victory 🏆 Let’s carry the Olympic spirit with us as we continue to build bold, resilient teams—taking on challenges, learning from setbacks, and celebrating every success along the way 🚀 #BeBold #OlympicSpirit #CourageToGrow #HRLeadership #TeamEmpowerment

From Paris with Love In our work with leaders and organizations around the world, we have found that nothing remarkable will happen for them unless they take an uncomfortable risk. It is as simple as that.     Same for you: unless you are willing to be uncomfortable to take on a new challenge or speak up at a meeting when you see something wrong or have an idea you think might help or ask someone for help, or hold someone accountable, the list goes on - unless you are willing to endure discomfort, you will not learn, change, grow and deliver in new, different and better ways. We see the same in Paris. These athletes have risked so much to get here and compete here. They have risked having their hard work and lonely hours not pay off if they fail to qualify (and remember there are far more athletes who didn't make it here than are competing here). Once here, the world is watching and they risk the social pain associated with not performing as well as they would have hoped. If they are a higher profile athlete and considered a medal contender, they risk people on social media assailing them for 'choking under pressure' (witness what people are saying about Jamal Murray of the Canadian mens basketball team who did not have his best game when they got upset by France in the quarterfinals). Having worked with athletes over a number of Olympic Games, I can tell you how inspiring I find these athletes on so many levels, but especially when it comes to risks. One area that should not be missed is the interpersonal risk the best ones do to build a team. It is hard to build a high performance team. It will not happen if people on the team 'play it safe' and don't take risks to build connection and trust. If team members do not name inconvenient truths, for example, about what is not working on a team, then that team will not build the level of intimacy required to stay together when pressure turns up the heat. One of the teams that has impressed me the most this Olympics is the beach volleyball duo from Canada of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (yes, a bit of a Canadian bias here). They have obvious talent: Brandie being one of the best 'blockers' in the world and Melissa one of the best 'defenders'. But what they have done to build chemistry on the team is really impressive. They so clearly have each others back, even when one or the other is not performing as well as they would like. And they have been tested here in Paris: they struggled though the competition where they dropped two pool games, meaning they had to come through a repechage or 'lucky loser' route to get into the playoffs. They faced pressure; nobody turned on the other and they persisted through. And, they now find themselves in the gold medal final against number one ranked in the world, Brazil! I could not be more proud of this team. Go 🇨🇦!

Have you been glued to your screen(s) during the 2024 Summer Olympics? So have we! From the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials right here in Indy, to the history-making moments of American wins, we’ve been living for the incredible talent and commitment of Team USA.
As the Olympics draw to a close this week, we’re reflecting on what it takes to become a winning team. Skill isn’t enough: even in individual events, we’ve watched our athletes draw strength from their teammates and supporters. How does your team work together to ensure everyone wins? Drop your tips in the comments.

Celebrating Team USA’s Victory at the Olympic Games: A Testament to Hard Work and Aspiration 🥇🇺🇸 As the final medal counts are tallied, it’s official: the United States has triumphed at the Olympic Games! This victory is not just a tally of medals, but a vivid testament to what hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence can achieve. Throughout the games, Team USA athletes demonstrated unparalleled dedication and resilience. Each event, whether on the track, in the pool, or across team sports, showcased the results of years of rigorous training, disciplined routines, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. This monumental achievement serves as an inspiring reminder to professionals in all fields: hard work pays off. Setting high goals, relentlessly pursuing excellence, and never shying away from challenges are principles that lead to success, whether on the Olympic stage or in the corporate arena. Let’s use this moment to reflect on our personal and professional goals. How can we embody the Olympic spirit in our endeavors? How can we push our limits and reach for new heights? To Team USA, congratulations on your spectacular victory. Your hard work has inspired a nation. To everyone striving in their careers, let this be a reminder: never stop reaching for your highest goals. #TeamUSA #OlympicGames #ProfessionalExcellence #Leadership #Motivation #CareerGoals Feel free to connect and share your thoughts on how we can apply the Olympic spirit in our professional journeys. Let’s keep the conversation going! 🌟