Many people will be familiar with the name Tom Daley. He made his Olympic Debut at age thirteen at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and has been a loveable face that the public have been rooting for since.
All Olympians will have a dream of a gold medal hanging from their neck at least once during this career. Whether this dream ever comes to fruition is another thing entirely, but Tom Daley’s tumultuous journey to reach Olympic gold has been one that the whole nation, and beyond could get behind.
He has been a figure, that many have doted upon over the years, especially in being so young back in 2008. Some may even argue that he is a national treasure.
Having come out in 2013, Daley has been under scrutiny for being himself. But, this has only enhanced his achievements greater, being a role model for young LGBT people, and in particular, young LGBT athletes, to look up to.
Tom’s successes have been reflective of the need to persevere, and the fact that things do not always go to plan. He was unfortunate in Rio 2016, and did not manage to qualify for the Olympic finals in the 10m diving. But, in the time between the games, he grew significantly as a person. His limits were no longer as strictly dependent on the podium. He had become a father, he and his husband raising their son and his attention is now on making sure his son knows that he can fail, he can make mistakes, slip up, struggle, and still be successful.
This makes him a great figure to aspire to be like, and an example of someone with a great growth mindset, which is when an individual looks at shortcomings, failures, mistakes etc. as opportunities to improve instead of wounds to pride and motivation.
The moment that Daley’s husband, Dustin, and son, Robert, watched him win gold was a heartwarming sentiment: the toddler pointing to his father and declaring that that’s his papa, not necessarily understanding that his papa and his partner Matty Lee were now and henceforth the Toyko 2020 Olympic Champions.
Daley’s change in attitude and focus after his struggles in Rio were actively reported on throughout the duration of the games, and he showed, in his moments of weakness, that there was still a stubbornness, and a drive to continue on to succeed, and after thirteen years in the public eye, he finally achieved his dream.
He certainly is one of the best examples of the need for a growth mindset and how this change in perspective, after a shortfall, can motivate you, and elevate you into the future. Had Rio not been so emotional, and distressing, Daley may not have won this time around. His shortcomings, just made for a more compelling figurehead for the nation to back.
In anticipation of Paris 2023, I’m excited, and I’m sure many others are too, to see Daley and his family, ready and raring to watch him defend his title.
Based in London, U.K., and founded in 2016 by Arvind Mishra The Agile Works (www.TheAgileWorks.com), is an up-and-coming recruitment and Agile consulting company. Arvind is a Certified SAFe SPC and regularly delivers both private and public SAFe certification workshops.
He is a design thinking expert, Sr. enterprise, portfolio Agile Coach with over a decade of experience working as an Agile coach in diverse industries such as banking, pharma, retail, auto, oil, gas, consulting and government.
The Agile Works; a small team of three strive to help shape the leadership's mind-set and values in readiness for their business transformation journey challenges. With Arvind at the helm, we strive to provide you with the agility tools to make your company that can thrive, and not just survive.
To book a consultation, or for any enquiries, you can contact Arvind via the following email address: arvind@theagileworks.com
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