What is the business equivalent of the Olympics?

Over the last week, I have really been into the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. I have never really watched the Winter Olympics before, but from the opening show to pair figure skating and so on, these games have really caught my attention. I have been impressed with how many of these athletes have competed and end up giving their personal best (according to the announcers). The camaraderie of the country teams and their pride to represent their country is outstanding. Outside of when I participated in sports in high school, I don’t think I have heard the US National Anthem so much, not since I was in elementary school in Illinois.

I have watched these games wondering where the business equivalent is. I know the Grammys and Oscars are for entertainers, but what about people in business. Is our success only measured by the amount of profit we bring in? There are competitions such as SBA National Small Business of the Year and top lists here and there that measure so many different factors (from Working Mother‘s and Black Enterprise‘s many lists to Inc. 5000 to Fortune 500 and so on) – would these be the equivalent?

On another (and even greater) note, these games really say a lot about being a part of a team. This evening, I watched the Super-G Alpine Skiing competition with Team USA’s Lindsey Vonn. After winning the Bronze medal (she won the Gold medal in Ladies’ Downhill skiing a few days ago), she was interviewed, discussing how supportive Team USA has been for each other. Paraphrasing, she explained how their individual wins encourage each other to keep competing at their best.

Realizing this motivation is one reason I am so excited to be a part of a newly formed “team.” Remember when I discussed creating your own community? Well, the group has been formed and we are in the midst of creating our individual goals so that our respective businesses will be the best we can have them be at every step.  None of our businesses are competitive and that was really by happenstance… they are actually quite complementary but that isn’t what we are in it for. We know that we can perform better by motivating each other and holding each other accountable instead of working in silos.

Maybe THAT is the equivalent of the Olympics, business and otherwise – performing at our personal best!