The day has arrived, the opening of the 2010 Olympics in our Vancouver and Canada is the only country to host the Olympics twice and never win a gold medal. However that is the past, and as a nation, we are as optimistic as ever and focused on NOW. It seems Canadians aren’t the only ones. The Globe and Mail, on page one declared, 3 BILLION VIEWERS EXPECTED FOR OPENING CEREMONY.
How does that happen, and why you might ask?
Well I think there might be a fairly straight forward reason so many people watch from around the world. The Olympics offer a time when most of the world can come together in the spirit of good will and possibility. At this stage, our attention is on the future, and no nation is ahead of the other, it’s about taking a moment to reflect on the unifying and powerful affect of bringing many nations together from around the globe to celebrate and be proud and then compete. There is tradition, there is beauty, there is celebration, there is pride, there is hope and there is purpose. This engages people, and it inspires people. We get to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
The leadership lesson is short – if you want to engage and inspire, consider what is important to the people you want to impact. What is it that they would be interested in? What reason is there to care? How could they get excited? There are all key elements to creating change too. It’s ground level work, and puts in the foundation for more. The opening ceremonies are the foundation and context for the next two and a half weeks of events. Watch for it tonight – you’ll see it everywhere!!
