Do as I say, not as I do. This could have been the staff slogan at any Olympic Games I was part of. On the one hand, while we all think of the Olympics as being for and about the athletes…you had to know that for coaches, volunteers, bus drivers, and sport scientists like me – it was our Olympics, too.
For staff at the Games, there was no such thing as quiet quitting or just putting in the time. On the contrary, there was an unacknowledged competition afoot, where staff would quietly vie to put in the most effort, the longest hours, and get the least sleep. So much so that we sport psychologists started calling it the Olympic Martyr Syndrome.
As if that wasn’t enough…it was as if some staff were hell-bent on self-destruction. For in every Olympic dining hall, major sponsor McDonalds would recreate their iconic storefront and serve all the usual fast-food fare. The only difference? Everything was free. Predictably, the place was often mobbed but the teams I was associated with worked hard to limit athlete access until (at least) they were done competing. What was shocking? How many staff made McDonalds their go-to fueling stop. It was as if they were saying, I’m working so hard, I deserve this.
Really? Staff certainly knew better. But they were exhausted. And in the midst of that exhaustion, maybe it was just too easy to rationalise a bad decision. That’s energy debt in action.
Whether you are an elite athlete or high-achiever in any other domain, the simple truth is that you are a performer. And as such, you should safeguard your ability to perform from all angles. Sleeping and eating – the energy fuels showcased in this story – are just part of the story. You can only go as far as your finite energy takes you. Protect this resource comes down to these actions:
- stopping the bleeding: eliminate/limit those things that drain your energy
- topping the tank: add in more of the things that give you energy
Stop the Bleeding
Even in high-performance environments, it’s rarely the massive stress event that breaks us—it’s the thousand small leaks we ignore. Or worse, the mindless energy-drains we self-inflict:
- Skipping meals or reaching for sugar
- The late-night work habit in the name of “just getting it done”
- Saying yes to everything
- Working through breaks like it’s a badge of honour
If we want to sustain performance over time—whether at the Olympics or on the job—we’ve got to stop the bleed. That means noticing what drains us, calling it out for what it is: an energy liability. And doing something about it.
The problem here is that, for most of us, changing this behavior is easier said than done. Mindless eating and drinking? Easy to do when we don’t even notice. Late nights and saying yes? These unhelpful actions come all too often with an underlying motivation that, if not addressed, can undermine our efforts to change. Working late to finish a project satisfies that need for closure. Saying yes satisfies our need to be liked or seen as helpful. No joke, challenging our energy drains can be confronting. But necessary if we want to live to perform another day.
Top the Tank
Because plugging the leaks isn’t enough. If we want to stay sharp, resilient, and effective, we’ve also got to top the tank – find and do those things that give us energy.
One of the coolest Olympic benefits and a true tank-topper for me was occasionally getting out of the performance-preparation bubble to watch other Olympic sports in action. Taking a break to see some of the greatest athletes on the planet doing their thing was a huge energy boost, particularly when I had no prior history with the sport. Nothing to remind me of work, and easier to be content no matter the outcome when I had no skin in the game.
What actions give you energy in your world? In case you’re coming up empty, here are some ideas:
— One “hell yes” per week: blocking time for one thing you want to do, not have to. It could be a walk, a coffee with a friend, or working on a strategy doc that actually excites you.
— Protecting the golden hour: Take (and protect) an hour at the end of your day to wind down—zero work talk, zero screens if possible. Set up better sleep and start the next day with way more presence.
— Nature resets: get outside, have more walking meetings
— Micro-recovery between meetings. This could be as simple as:
- 10 deep breaths
- 10 seconds of stillness
- 10 seconds to ask, “How do I need to be in this next thing?”
— Finding something to laugh (or even just smile) about regularly, and even better, someone to share the joke with, because high performance shouldn’t be joyless.
In case it isn’t clear, the McDonald’s story was less about the food and more a tale of fatigue, mindless choices, and the counterproductive stories we tell ourselves when we’re running on empty.
Whether you’re chasing medals or managing teams, your mojo matters. Not because it’s nice—but because your brain, your judgment, your leadership depends on it.
So this week—what would it look like to stop one energy leak? And what could you do, even for five minutes, to top the tank?
