A Lesson in Gold Medal Thinking
A television analyst was talking about Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt after another one of his extraordinary performances in the recent Olympic Games. Once again, Bolt had blown away the competition and the TV commentator remarked on how Bolt just had something special about him; something in his genetics that made him capable of running at such an astonishing speed.
Many athletes could spend their lives training with the best coaches, the analyst pointed out, and never approach Bolt’s results.
I have no doubt that’s true, but I think you can find another profound truth by turning that equation around. Usain Bolt, for all his natural ability, would probably not be a gold medal champion if it weren’t for the coaches that recognized his unique talent and helped him develop those incredible natural abilities.
In the same way, some dentists are just naturally gifted as clinicians, but natural ability isn’t always enough. To reach the highest level of success you have to surround yourself with people who recognize your abilities and are able to use their experience and expertise to help you make the most of that special gift.
When great talent meets great coaching, extraordinary things happen.
