A knee injury forced Megan Clarken, CEO of Criteo, out of track and field events at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but she took the principles of training into her leadership, including finding that competitive edge, being decisive and focusing on what's best for her team. "I make sure that I'm steering people in the right direction, giving people guidance, and giving people the things they need to be very successful on their own. Then I let them go and shine," Clarken says.

Put it into practice: Clarken recalls losing a race by one centimeter, so training always became about closing that gap, something leaders must think about when strategizing to beat their competition. "How do you get that edge when everybody's doing exactly the same thing?"

Participants in executive coach Alaina Love's recent mastermind group reflected on what they wish they had known earlier about being a leader, and answers ranged from realizing they'd need a growth mindset to getting enough sleep and eating right to have the stamina for the job. "The research on nutrition and brain function has convinced me that eating well is an important part of my job as a leader. I can't show up as my best for the team if my brain doesn't have quality fuel," said one participant.

Put it into practice: One mastermind participant shared that they begin their day with 30 minutes of silence to clear their mind, another makes decisions early in the day to avoid foggy thinking and another spoke of the power of gratitude. "An added plus is I identify the people on my team who deserve my appreciation and make sure they know I'm grateful for their efforts," the participant noted.

Successfully moderate meetings by planning your agenda ahead of time, call on junior team members and introverts for their thoughts and be prepared to address long-talkers, tangents and moments that may become heated, writes Vlad Kotyhoroshko, CEO of Get Lighthouse. Don't end the meeting without clarifying what everyone is responsible for doing afterwards to reduce the chances of misunderstandings, Kotyhoroshko advises.

Put it into practice: Get in the habit of recognizing team members who come prepared for meetings and reinforce good ideas and feedback, as well as thanking those who help get meetings back on track when topics wander, Kotyhoroshko writes. "Remember: You get more of what you praise and reward."

Making time for yourself. There's always an excuse not to invest in your own professional development. You might say you're too busy, don't have the resources, can't find any offerings that help you grow or can't afford to take the time away from work. In all these situations, you're prioritizing your employer's needs over your own. If you're not investing in yourself, you're falling behind all the other professionals who are making those investments.

A full 27% of you fall in the camp of not investing in yourself enough to even staying on par with your peers. Carve out the time for your development. It can come in many forms -- reading, going to training, taking an eLearning course or working with a coach or mentor are all viable ways to keep your skills sharp. Plus, your improved skills benefit your employer in the form of you being a more effective leader and employee.

You have to prioritize yourself because, left to its own devices, your employer will likely prioritize short-term deliverables that benefit the company over long-term professional growth for you.

-- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: "One Piece of Paper," "Lead Inside the Box" and "The Elegant Pitch."

Integrity and reliability are ways leaders can fill their "cup of credibility," according to Mike McDermott, president and CEO of the nonprofit Mary Washington Healthcare. "Being honest with a foundation of good moral principles, and allowing others to depend on your words and actions will, drop by drop, fill your cup of credibility," McDermott said.

Bull elephants vocalize a "let's go" signal that rumbles through the ground in complex communication similar to that previously thought to be unique to female elephants, say findings in PeerJ based on 12 years of research in Namibia. "We were astonished to find that male elephants, typically considered to have loose social ties, engage in such sophisticated vocal coordination to trigger action," says lead author Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell, who notes that the most dominant and socially connected males initiate the vocalizations.

As the Summer Olympics get underway this Friday in Paris, I am reflecting on the amazing dedication of Olympic athletes. They begin training years before they'll ever have a chance to participate in the games. There's a chance they may never compete, as Megan Clarken discovered when an injury sidelined her before the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

That doesn't stop their striving for that far-off goal, though, and leaders can learn the art of perseverance from their training regimen and mindset. Business goals are often off in the distance and the decision we make today will directly affect that outcome. In the day-to-day, we work with our team, coaching them, being coached by them and working to differentiate ourselves from the competition.

Everything is essential as you seek to reach your goal, Clarken notes. There are steps to get there, and you have to remind people," she says. "It is a critical part of leadership."

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