Laura Gordon: Giving medals to real heroes

Traditionally, he has been in a Twitter storm, this time saying we should “stop pretending to be a bronze achievement for a national celebration”.

It made me so angry.

He reportedly retreated and sent a congratulatory message to the bronze-winning 13-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown — and I should think so too. I looked at talented skateboarders and couldn’t believe someone so young performed at this level representing Team GB.

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He may not have poured gold, but still broke records because he is now Britain’s youngest summer game medalist, an incredible achievement.

Then there is the husband and wife of Laura and Jason Kenny, the Olympic cyclists who needed silver. Jason became the most successful British Olympic winner, overtaking Sir Chris Hoy, while Laura has previously won four golds.

Writer, broadcaster, and table tennis player Matthew Syed – whom I greatly admire – was one of many who swept Morgan’s brazen comments that I was glad to see. He also spoke of today’s culture and the contrast between hard-working Olympics and “celebrity mediocrity,” which often seems to be more solemn. Unfortunately, that’s true, and the combination of social media and reality TV has helped reinforce it.

It made me think of unsung heroes in other walks of life who don’t get the recognition they deserve. Consider, for example, the bright minds of business.

There you will find today’s real influencers, but you don’t always know it because they don’t always shout about it, they have a huge social media follower or a visible public profile. However, like athletes and women, many of today’s business leaders, especially those with whom I have had the good fortune to work, almost certainly earn medals.

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They are hardworking, dedicated, disciplined, methodical and so personally committed to what they do. They are involved in the long run and often sacrifice personal time for their businesses, and often they are not motivated by their own chances of success but by their people.

I recently worked with a business leader whose company proved to be a real challenge. It was a tough fool who took huge amounts of time and money, and as a result, he had begun to fall in love with a company he was passionate about.

The obvious choice would have been to cut losses and leave, but he refused because he really cared so much about his people, so he fought tooth with his fingernails to succeed and keep his job safe. His staff will probably never know the efforts he made at a time when liquidation might have been a more attractive, even the most sensible option.

Now it’s a commitment. Give that man a medal.

I’ll leave you with the task of the day. Look around you. Your supervisor, co-workers, team members you delegate to. Your family. Your friend.

Who would you give a medal to in your life? Who doesn’t always get the recognition they deserve? Look around you and appreciate them because they are real heroes.

Laura Gordon is the CEO Coach and Group Chair at Vistage International, a global CEO Development Network.