And The Winner Is…

the USA…or Great Britain…or Jamaica…or Grenada?

The USA won the most medals (104), including the most gold (46) and the most silver (29). The host nation, Great Britain, won a total of 65 medals; Jamaica won 12, all in track and field; Grenada had only one medal, gold in the men’s 400m sprint.

If the winner is decided by the total weight of the medals, then the award goes to the USA by a large margin. But based on population, Grenada, with only 105,000 people, is the clear winner:

     Grenada                  9.5 medals per million people
     Jamaica                  4.4 medals per million people
     GreatBritain          1.03 medals per million people
     USA                          0.33 medals per million people

(By the way,China, with the world’s largest population, won only 0.06 medals per million people.)

The USA is the richest nation in the world and has the most money to spend on athletics. We should win the most medals. We did. That was success.

Great Britain, as the host nation, wanted to make a great showing. They did—65 medals was their most ever! That was success.

Jamaica wanted to maintain their position as the sprinter capital of the world. They did. Will you ever forget watching Usain Bolt win the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay with ease? That was success.

Grenada won its first medal ever, and it was gold! They went home happy and feeling like winners. That was success.

If winning the most medals was the only measure of success, then there was one winner (the USA) and 203 losers at the 2012 games. I guarantee you that 203 teams did not go home feeling like losers.

Now…here is the point: do not let others define success for your organization or for you personally. Don’t let others try to squeeze you into their mold. You decide for yourself what success is, and then go for it. On your mark…get set…go!

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4 responses to “And The Winner Is…”

john says:

August 14, 2012 at 3:51 pm

Good advice

Reply
- Dick Wells says:
  
  August 14, 2012 at 7:19 pm
  
  Thanks, John. “Success” should be a very personal thing, different for each of us. (Hugs to Kathy.)
  
  Reply
Matt Austin says:

August 15, 2012 at 9:07 am

Ricky Bobby’s dad said, “If you’re not first–your last”. I’m glad he was wrong. 🙂

Reply
- Dick Wells says:
  
  August 15, 2012 at 5:10 pm
  
  Ricky Bobby and his dad are wrong about a lot of things. See you tomorrow, Matt.
  
  Reply