Five Tips to Help You Build Olympic-Quality Leadership Habits
After representing the U.S. in sailing at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Lara Dallman-Weiss is now applying the lessons she learned on the water as a high-performance athlete to help others navigate the pressures of leadership. As the Olympian in Residence at the woman-owned education strategy and policy firm ILO Group, Dallman-Weiss is teaching the same skills that helped her excel as an Olympic sailor with rising school administrators.
Dallman-Weiss’s unique role with ILO Group focuses on providing leaders with the skills needed to navigate the demands of leadership and create a culture of wellness and resilience.
Her work with ILO Group’s sister network, Women Leading Ed, the largest national nonprofit of women education leaders, aims at empowering more women to take leadership roles and thrive there. It’s vital work, as women make up 76% of the teaching workforce but hold less than 30% of superintendent positions.
“The skills that Olympians cultivate — visualizing success, managing setbacks, and leading under pressure, are exactly what educational leaders need to sustain long-term success,” says Dr. .
To bring these Olympic lessons to life, Dallman-Weiss offers practical tools that anyone can implement today. Whether you’re an educator, a leader, or someone aspiring to take on more responsibility, here are the steps you can take right now to improve your performance and strengthen your leadership.
- Create Morning and Evening Routines for Peak Performance
Dallman-Weiss has built her career on discipline, and she emphasizes the power of routine. For anyone working in high-stress environments (whether in education, business, or sailing) setting clear routines can help reduce anxiety and increase focus.
“I learned the importance of building routines around staying healthy and staying focused while I’m on the road,” Dallman-Weiss says. “There are things that I do on a daily basis to keep my focus. I also think it’s really important to manage stress and make sure you’re maintaining your health in those high-pressure moments.”
Tip:
- Morning routine: Start your day by taking 15 minutes to center yourself—stretch, meditate, or practice deep breathing before checking your email or phone. This helps maintain replace negative thoughts with positive and set your intentions for the day right from the start.
- Evening routine: Create a wind-down ritual to prepare for restful sleep. Avoid screens and instead read a book, reflect on your day, or set intentions for tomorrow. It’s important to have a transition from a fast-paced day into a restful state.
- Race Against Yourself, Not the Competition
As Dallman-Weiss explains, “The amount of time that you spend thinking about another boat is taking away from your race.” She reflects on how for a long time, she wanted to focus on beating her competitors, but her performance coach taught her that “that’s all a distraction from you being the fastest boat.”
Tip:
- Stop focusing on the competition: Instead of thinking about other people’s progress or comparing yourself to others, take the opportunity to learn from others and then shift your focus to improving your own performance.
- Own your race: Whether it’s in your career, personal goals, or any challenge, measure your success by how much you’ve improved, not by how others are doing.
- Master the “Visual Reset” Method to Overcome Setbacks
In sailing, Dallman-Weiss uses visual cues on her boat to help reset her mind after a mistake or bad race, she often writes a mantra on her boat or on her sail right in her line of site. This method allows her to refocus and move on quickly.
“For a while my word was power, I would write it on the tack of my jib, and if I had a bad race or a mistake, that was my visual cue to reset my mindset and focus on the present moment,” Dallman-Weiss shares. So too in leadership, it’s important to acknowledge challenges without letting them derail your progress.
Tip:
- “Visual” reset: Keep a physical object (like a keychain, bracelet, or sticky note) at your desk so you can have a focal point that reminds you, “Okay, be in the present here.” Take a few deep breaths and refocus on the next step, rather than dwelling on the mistake.
- 4. Embrace Strength Training and Mindfulness for Stress Management
Mental stamina is just as important as physical strength. Dallman-Weiss trains her mind as much as her body to handle the pressures of competition. In education leadership, mental clarity and stress management are crucial for maintaining high performance under pressure.
“I think strength training for mental stamina is huge,” she says. “You’ve got to be prepared for that pressure when it comes. Breathing is also a big part of how I maintain mental clarity. I’ve taken a deep dive into breathwork and understanding how breathing works for managing stress and anxiety.”
Tip:
- Strength training for mental clarity: Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine—it’s never too late to begin strength training. Short bursts of strength exercise help with cognitive function as well as several other physical benefits.
- Mindfulness practice: Dedicate 5 minutes a day to mindfulness or breathing exercises to clear your mind. Learn the science behind it: Regulating your breathing can help manage your nervous system, especially in high-stress situations. Try techniques like the “collarbone breath,” where you press the spot directly below the outer edge of your collarbone as you take a deep inhale to trigger relaxation.
- If Not You, Who? If Not Now, When?
One of Dallman-Weiss’s favorite pieces of advice comes from Marcus Lynch, High Performance Director for the US Sailing Team: “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?” This shifts the focus away from self-doubt and pushes you to seize opportunities and take action.
“I think that’s one of the most important pieces of advice I’ve heard,” Dallman-Weiss says. “It’s about stepping into the space and seizing the opportunity without waiting for the perfect moment.”
Tip:
- Start your day with this mantra. Repeat it to yourself whenever you face challenges or self-doubt. It helps remind you that you are the person for the job, and waiting for a perfect moment will only hold you back.
Beyond education, Dallman-Weiss is committed to empowering young female sailors to step into leadership roles, both on and off the water. She often mentors girls who don’t yet see themselves as leaders, encouraging them to find joy in their journey and take ownership of their leadership potential.
“If you want to raise an Olympian, don’t focus on the win,” Dallman-Weiss advises. “Focus on the love of the sport and the growth that comes from every experience, good or bad. It’s not about early specialization; it’s about fostering resilience and confidence.”
By adopting the tangible steps laid out above – creating routines, racing against yourself, learning to reset after setbacks, and realizing there’s no such thing as a perfect moment to start something new – you can uplevel your skills Olympic-style, starting today. Leadership means action, even in uncertain moments; because if not you, then who? And if not now, then when?
Dallman-Weiss also conducts 1:1 virtual coaching; contact her to create your own routine.
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