Blue Ocean Strategy - What Can Sporting Greats Teach Us About Blue Oceans?

What Can Sporting Greats Teach Us About Blue Oceans? - Blue Ocean Strategy

Not surprisingly there is a strong correlation between the accomplishments of sporting greats and the principles of Blue Ocean Strategy.

Consider the story of Roger Bannister. Bannister was the first man to break the 4-minute mile in 1954. Before then, everyone thought that breaking this time barrier was impossible for a human being. The most striking thing about his triumph was that within 10 years after his run, more than 300 others also ran faster than 4 minutes, indicating that the mark was more of a psychological barrier than a physiological one. Overstepping psychological barriers is a dominant theme of Blue Ocean Strategy.

Another source of sporting inspiration comes from mountain climber Joe Simpson. Once faced with an apparently insurmountable challenge of getting down the icy slopes of Siula Grande, Peru, with a smashed and useless leg, he survived, in part due to a mind game: He separated the descend into small, achievable stages, each seeming relatively easy. And each success boosted his morale along the way. This is an important lesson for implementing Blue Ocean Strategy. Seemingly bold, unchartered strategies can be accomplished by breaking them down into smaller, manageable steps, a process we call ‘atomization’.