It was quite the weekend for Nordic skiing in the United States. The World Cup visited Lake Placid, NY, and I was there along with 14,000 plus other spectators to take it all in. We saw some of the biggest names in cross-country skiing take to the line and race in the snow and even in the rain. As an avid Nordic skier, it was awesome to see it all happen in a location that I have skied (although at much slower speeds).

One of the main attractions was the retirement of Jessie Diggins, the greatest Nordic athlete ever to come out of the United States. Her legacy however goes well beyond the Olympic medals and world championships. When she talks about her career and her impact, she focuses much more on the culture she helped to create on the US Nordic ski team, and the larger impact on youth skiing.

One of her trademarks is wearing glitter on her cheeks during her races. At the event, hundreds (if not thousands) of people were also wearing glitter. While perhaps a small symbol to some outside of this culture, it speaks to how the outcome of the race is not the only thing. Rather, it is the joy of participating in a community with others who share the passion you all have for this activity.

On her legacy, she said the following:

“I think the team is going to be just fine without me,” Diggins said. “And I feel like that’s how I know I did my job. There’s so much leadership coming from so many people, because this team is filled with individuals who have put their heart and their energy into the team and who spend time thinking about, How can I make this team better? Not just what can I get and how can the team help me, but how can I make sure that we succeed? And I think that is why we succeed.”

On the point of leadership, I welcome Dalmo Cirne to Experience by Design podcast. Dalmo wrote the book “The 4 Streams of Leadership: Transform Yourself into an Overachiever Manager.” In this book, he talks about how being in a position of leadership doesn’t prepare you for being a leader. People often are promoted into leadership positions because of their technical competence, but that doesn’t translate into effective leadership.

We talk about the overtaxing of middle management when placed into this position, and how it impacts those who are reporting to them. We discuss the concept of leadership and the importance of understanding and managing different streams in an organization, including downstream (team and projects), upstream (communication with upper management), and sidestream (interactions with peers in other departments).

Dalmo examines the nature of leadership, agreeing that while organizational hierarchy is necessary for making difficult decisions, true leadership is demonstrated through actions and behaviors rather than just position

Dalmo highlights the significance of understanding one's own motivations for seeking leadership roles, contrasting those who are naturally drawn to leadership with those who seek it for external recognition or financial gain.

Finally, we have some conversation about the properties of snow, including heavy and wet New England snow versus light and fluffy Colorado snow. And what better time to talk about snow and leadership than with the retirement of Jessie Diggins and the emergence of the next generation of Nordic leadership for US cross-country skiing!

Dalmo Cirne: https://dalmocirne.com/

Dalmo Cirne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalmocirne/

“The 4 Streams of Leadership”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1510785183