So what? That’s the question I’ve heard this week from several of my executive coaching clients when we spoke about Diana Nyad’s swim from Cuba to Key West. She became the first person to do the swim (a distance of over 100 miles through shark infested waters) without the protection of a shark cage. To be frank, my first reaction was similar. “So what?“ With all that is happening in the world, chemical weapons in Syria, wildfires in the west, relations with Russia reminiscent of the Cold War, why should anyone care? That is what the cynic sitting on my shoulder was saying.
Fortunately, before that thought had taken hold, I was reminded of a conversation I had several years ago with a friend of mine, Peter Elmore. Peter is an avid swimmer, and he is one of about 2700 people to have swum the English Channel. To put that in context, that’s almost 500 fewer people than have summited Mt. Everest. It is an amazing feat.
When Peter told me about his swim, he wasn’t bragging. We had been talking about the value of goal setting in overcoming adversity. When he set the goal of swimming the English Channel, he was dealing with major health issues, and the idea of undertaking something this physically challenging seemed impossible. Regardless, in 1988 Peter achieved his goal. His success and what it meant to him reminds me of why we need to celebrate stories like Diana Nyad’s. 2699 swimmers may follow her, but she will have led the way.
For me, Ms. Nyad’s motivation is far less important than all that went into her ultimate success. Her accomplishment is extraordinary. So much of what Ms. Nyad did resonates with me as a leadership coach, and it provides numerous leadership lessons. Start with her ambition, which propelled her to do what most believed impossible. She understood the importance of inspiration. Her passion breathed life into her ambition and kept her going and kept others following for nearly 40 years.
The investment she made to prepare her body, mind, and spirit reminds us to keep investing in our own dreams. Her four attempts and failures remind me to maintain my resilience and fortitude. Her ability to swim through the pain, exhaustion, and danger reminds us of the importance of maintaining our stamina. More than that, her ability to rely on others reminds us that everyone needs help – especially the person leading the way.
People are already dismissing Diana Nyad’s accomplishment. They say that she somehow cheated or that the protective suit she wore made the swim illegitimate. I prefer to live in a world that celebrates extraordinary acts and not take shots at them. So I choose to ignore the critics and draw strength and joy from Diana Nyad and her success.