I recently found myself caught up in the magic of the Winter Olympics and as I watched the figure skaters glide across the ice, my mind went back to 1998. I had just moved to Canada and the Nagano Olympics were my first real introduction to my new home. It was also my introduction to a sport I had never seen before. I remember being mesmerized by the mix of athleticism and the ability to tell a story on a thin blade of steel.
Coming from a background in engineering, I have always been drawn to the way things work. Back then, I saw the beauty of the performance and today I am fascinated by the discipline behind the artistry. We often see the finished routine with the fluid jumps and the emotional connection to the music and we forget that it started as a series of isolated steps.
Leadership works the same way. We are often asked to perform at a high level and to inspire our teams and to succeed every time. The secret to a sustainable performance is found in the choreography of the small sections we master when no one is watching.
A figure skating routine is a choreography of intricate steps and jumps and spins. To make it work, the skater has to connect the music to the steps and to the emotion the audience will feel. By connecting with even just one person in the audience, they master the same challenge we face every day in leadership.
We have to connect the why to the what and to the how. The emotion is our purpose and the music is our strategy and the steps are our daily execution. When we align these three things, we bring clarity to our organizations.
Skaters learn this by breaking the routine into small sections. They work with a choreographer who maps out movements to match the tempo and they repeat sections without music to build muscle memory. They use video recordings for practice and they gradually add artistic expression as they get comfortable.
Once the steps are memorized, they can finally focus on the flow and the musicality. They build a choreography based on their strengths and the areas where they can improve and the result is a beautiful routine they improve every time they skate.
Breaking down an ambitious goal into smaller milestones helps you build on your existing talents and address the gaps in your experience. When we look at a massive project or a long-term vision, it can feel as heavy as an Olympic routine.
We might feel stuck because we are trying to land the triple axel before we have mastered the basic footwork.
In leadership, we often focus on the big result and we forget that confidence is built in the repetition of the small parts. We need to be willing to get up every time we fall and we need to treat our leadership as an iterative process of continuous improvement.
This requires a high level of self-awareness to know when a step needs to be adjusted because it doesn't fit our current comfort level or the needs of the team. When we give ourselves permission to master the steps bit by bit, we find the clarity we need to grow in our careers and our personal journeys.
My challenge for you this week is to look at one of your "Triple Axle" or "Quad" goals and break it down into a choreography of smaller steps. We often get overwhelmed by the final performance and we lose sight of the individual movements that make it possible.
Pick one major objective on your plate and identify the steps you need to complete this goal. For each step ask yourself if you have the capacity, competency & capability to accomplish each step?
Capacity: Do you have the available bandwidth and mental space for this work?
Competency: Do you have the specific skills or knowledge required for this step?
Capability: Do you have the tools, systems, and authority to get it done?
If a step feels heavy or stuck, identify which of those three is missing. Once you know where the gap is, you can adjust your sequence or ask for support to get back into the flow.
I recently spoke with Kathryn Andrews about how purpose-driven leadership becomes sustainable and we found a natural connection in the way we look at structure. As the founder of Realise Change, Kathryn works as a Fractional Operations Partner and B Corp advisor for purpose-led businesses. She often operates as a founder’s right hand and she uses her background in global HR and operations to help leaders navigate growth and limited capacity.
In her recent article, Purpose-Driven Leadership Is Harder Than We Admit, Kathryn explains that if the weight of your mission feels heavier than it should, the issue is usually found in the structure of the organization rather than a lack of commitment. She helps organizations embed purpose as a systems way of working and she suggests a few ways to check your current choreography:
By translating vision and strategy into clear priorities, Kathryn helps leaders reduce their cognitive burden and focus on scaling their long-term impact. You can learn more about her partnership approach at Realise Change.
The Olympics are a symbol of discipline, achievement, teamwork and sportsmanship. These are lessons we can carry as leaders. The most beautiful routines are simply the result of making the difficult look easy. Those athletes spent thousands of hours falling and getting back up and refining their steps so they could eventually focus on the connection with their audience.
Leadership requires that same essence. We build our structures and we master our daily steps so that we can show up with the emotion and the presence our teams deserve.
I look forward to hearing how you are breaking down your own routines to find your spark.
What is one small step you are mastering this week? Share it in the comments!
Here’s to finding your spark—and letting it shine.
Karen