Life’s Work: An Interview with Greg Louganis; Harvard Business Review, July-August 2016

Alison Beard, Harvard Business Review; Life’s Work: An Interview with Greg Louganis:

"You’ve described yourself as extremely shy, yet you’ve become something of a spokesperson for LGBT causes. How did you make that transition?

My mom always taught me, “Make everywhere you go better because you were there.” It’s funny, because I just got an e-mail from my sixth-grade teacher, who asked, “What happened to that shy little 12-year-old that I used to teach?” And you know what? That boy is still here. It’s just that I’m more comfortable articulating and sharing my thoughts and feelings now. But it’s not a mantle you pick up overnight.

Why are you a mentor and not a coach?

My coach, Ron, was also a mentor. He would meet with us and map out the calendar, saying, “OK, what are the major competitions and what are our goals—diving-related or not?” He coached us as individuals. There is less of that now. So when I meet with athletes, some of it’s about diving or communication breakdowns with their coaches, because I don’t see the dives the same way they do. They’re thinking about the mechanics and the positioning, while I see the athlete holding on to stress and forgetting to breathe. So I’ll say, “Put a breath right here and everything else will fall into place.” But most of it is about what goes on outside the pool. What are their career aspirations? Where do they see themselves in two to five years? Are they taking action steps to pursue those goals? I take a more holistic approach."