NACCM 2009: Going for Gold: Living Up to Olympic Size Expectations

Going for Gold: Living Up to Olympic Size Expectations
Rick Burton, CMO, United States Olympic Committee 2008, David Falk Professor of Sport Management, Syracuse University and Co-founder of Sportgiving

Most of the attendees know more about service customers than Mr. Burton. But he will share a few stories that challenge our thoughts and return the messages back to our businesses.
Burton has had many roles in his careers, including beer, football, college kids, the Olympics and college kids. He’s willing to challenge authority and challenge the rules.

He once worked with the NFL. The NFL gave the fans what they wanted. More scoring, this includes bringing in the uprights for limiting field goals. The NFL was listening to the customers and brought in more touchdown.

Customers need to come first. Burton has always been inspired by sports. How can the Nike video below inspire your company? Nike gives athletes the chance to keep on going, challenge their borders and go farther than they’re able to. The company started by athletes for athletes. They want to give them better products and a better chance to thrill them.

He was able to be the Chief Marketing Officer going into the 2008 Olympic Games. His companies involved were Coca Cola, Budweiser, Bank of America, and Kellogg’s. These business are the best at what they do, but no one person can take credit for the greatness of the Olympics. He was a part of the team, and they needed the ability to sell their products and make sure their customers were satisfied, whether if it was Corn Flakers or a bank account. AT&T put on a program where each night a song was featured. When users downloaded the song, the proceeds went back to the athletes. The ratings were very, very high, and it was also available across many platforms.

The thing about the Olympics, do your employees see themselves as champions? Athletes have to become champions by going on step at a time. In great leadership, you must be able to bring more out of the people around you.

You must trust: vision, staff, peers, product, organization, faith, view of the world, and yourself.
Are you sacrificing your creativity by not taking enough time for vacation and letting yourself relax? “Change or die” is crucial for how you live and interact with the world around you.
Children’s books and movies can be a source of inspiration.

What are three things your customers need? What are three things that your customers want and you’re not giving them? How often do you dream ahead 6 months in your business, in your career and in your customers. What would you like to see? If you don’t see anything, what does this mean for your creativity? Are you searching for excellence or settling for mediocrity?
Wow. What’s your definition? What’s your new outlook for your business?