The following post is courtesy of Diane Harrison who is principal and owner of Panegyric Marketing, a strategic marketing communications firm founded in 2002 specializing in alternative assets.
The 2026 Winter Olympics just wound down, and while the overall event wasn’t as compelling to watch as most summer Olympics, there were a few takeaways from these Games I thought served as a good foil for our daily struggles and competitions in the financial and investment communities.
WE ALL WANT TO BE SURPRISED BY UNEXPECTED EXCELLENCE. Probably the most unlikely winner this year was the men’s figure skater from Kazakhstan. He was so unexpected I had to look up his name again, though I watched his gold-medal performance. Mikhail Shaidorov was in fifth place after the short program, with the sport’s titans all placed ahead of him going into the long program finals. If you were betting on him to beat all 4 men who led him, you would have been amazed at the return on your bet when, against all odds, he skated a powerful, clean program and then sat and watched his betters falter one by one, until he was the last man standing on the winner’s podium. The pure elation and joy on his face when he realized what he’d done was truly what the Olympics are about.
The flip side to the story, though, was the global dismay we spectators felt as the final 4 leaders each underperformed to their ability and had to settle for less than gold. The weight of expectations and assumptions each felt proved too much for them to handle, and every stumble was difficult to watch. Let our lesson learned be that, sometimes, being mentally prepared can carry you through tougher times, and it always pays to keep your attitude positive and your focus sharp.
TEAM WINS MAKE US ALL A PART OF THE EXPERIENCE. If you are an American, you had plenty to celebrate with the US teams bringing home golds in mixed ice skating and hockey, both men and women. It was a unifying moment to see both hockey finals come down to overtime winning goals, and the team celebrations somehow conveyed right through the global media channels to make us all feel proud. It’s worth it to note that the team athletes visibly enjoy being part of the group wins as much as striving in their individual events…there’s merit and satisfaction to be had in both efforts, much the same as we experience in business.
PRESSURE IS INVISIBLE, BUT A VERY REAL OBSTACLE TO OVERCOME. It happens at every Olympics; a favorite who was widely expected to roll through to victory fails to execute and is tested. But these Games had a seemingly inordinate number of such stumbles- maybe the pressure was contagious, and failure begat failure as athletes on deck were forced to watch competitors stumble under the judging process just before they too had to perform. Ilia Malinin was the most disappointing example of the pressure crack, when he literally had the poorest skate of his young life, falling repeatedly on Olympic ice as the overwhelming favorite going into the long program in men’s skating. To his credit, the 21-year old responded to his failure with both shock and grace, exhibiting great sportsmanship even in the face of his collapse. He made sure to congratulate the gold medal surprise winner, who he knew and liked, and his genuine acknowledgement was a testament to Ilia’s character and grace.
Conversely, there was an opposite feel-good story of these Games, that of Alyssa Liu. She, who was a surprise returner to ice skating competition after walking away for 2.5 years, was not a real contender for gold in the eyes of most experts. She also repeatedly stated that she was not in the hunt for an Olympic medal; rather, she skated for her own enjoyment and to share her art with the world on an Olympic platform. Maybe her perspective shielded her from the pressure, or maybe she just had the mental fortitude to withstand the pressure which cracked others, but she skated both her programs with a free spirit and lightness that allowed both her artistry and skill shine, and in the end, it was her gold medal that was earned.
So as we all suit up to compete each day in our respective disciplines and business focus, let the lessons from these Olympics remind us that there’s both value and joy in being a breakout star as well as a solid team player. And always, respect that the pressure upon us is real, and take measures to protect your efforts from its eroding impact.
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