Coaching Tip: The Leadership Blog: Olympic gold begins with good genes

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Michael Phelps stands 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters) and weighs 195 pounds (88.5 kilograms), with the broad shoulders and slim waist common to the elite swimmer.

But consider his body measurements a little closer and it becomes clearer why Phelps is dominating these Olympic Games. He has an extended trunk and relatively short legs, a distinct advantage in the water. The inseam of his pants is reportedly 32 inches (81 centimeters), shorter than that of Hicham El Guerrouj, the great Moroccan runner, who is 5 feet 9 inches (175 centimeters) but all legs.

Phelps has double-jointed elbows, knees, and ankles, which allows him to bend himself like few swimmers can. His size-14 (European-size 48.5) feet are like giant fins.

Add to that the extraordinary work rate of his lungs and heart and Phelps appears almost superhuman--a different species from the rest of us.

Of course, he also trains extraordinarily hard. But so do others. To be an Olympic champion, a person's genes must first be preset for maximal athletic performance. After all, great athletes are born, then made better.

All athletes have coaches. What's your game plan for personal success?

For how to build your innate signature talents into winning strengths, go to:

www.LifeSignature.com

Source: National Geographic News, August 20, 2004

Crossing the Finish Line second doesn't beat first or third:

Neal Roese, author of "If Only" (Random House, 2005) and a professor at University of Illinois at Champaign, recognizes the amazing resiliency and optimism people display after dusting themselves off from a bad situation.

In speaking with high-achieving athletes, he explained, researchers found that the unhappiest people on the awards podium are usually the silver medalists. Why? Because they compare themselves to the athletes who won, and they always come up short.

Bronze medalists, on the other hand, are surprisingly happy. Because they are often comparing downward, to those who didn't medal at all, their thoughts run more toward, "I'm lucky I got here; I could have missed being on the podium at all."

When you seem to always be coming up in "second place" in your life or career challenges it may be time to consider getting up, dusting yourself off, and deciding it is time to be coached to success.