When the Storm Hits at 1 AM, What Kind of Leader Will You Be?

Описание: What happens when a thunderstorm destroys your entire event course at 1 AM - and 2,500 athletes show up in 5 hours?

In this episode of Your E.P.I.C. Pursuit, Carl Thomas shares the leadership lessons that helped him navigate that crisis and build triathlon's Olympic format from scratch. As a USA Triathlon Hall of Fame and World Triathlon Hall of Fame inductee with 30+ years of C-suite leadership experience, Carl reveals the unconventional principles that transformed his vision into a global movement.

🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

✅ Lead From the Front – Why showing up and getting your hands dirty builds unstoppable team loyalty and trust
✅ Build Culture Before Crisis – How to establish accessibility, transparency, and vulnerability as foundational leadership principles
✅ The Better Mousetrap Theory – Carl's framework for taking bold ideas and making them relatable to your audience
✅ Servant Leadership in Action – Why you work FOR your team, not the other way around
✅ Patient Persistence Wins – How Carl turned a Sports Illustrated article into an Olympic sport without knowing steps 5, 6, and 7
✅ Good Enough Beats Perfect – Making tough calls under pressure and focusing on what matters most
✅ Navigating Leadership Transitions – How to support your team through uncertainty and organizational exits

🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

How to lead through uncertainty when there's no playbook to follow

The communication cadence that keeps teams focused during turbulent times

Why intentional action drives clarity better than perfect planning

How to make tough decisions when you can't gather all the information

The vision and framework that brought triathlon to the 2000 Sydney Olympics

👤 ABOUT CARL THOMAS:

Carl Thomas is a global C-suite growth strategist, Best Boss Ever podcast host, and pioneering sports marketing executive. He created the Olympic triathlon format (1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run) and co-founded both USA Triathlon and the International Triathlon Union. His leadership journey spans Fortune 500 companies, startup ventures, and building high-performance teams across marketing, sales, and business development.

📚 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

[00:05] Welcome and Carl's Hall of Fame background
[03:55] Leading through uncertainty during organizational exits
[11:18] The 1 AM crisis: When the thunderstorm destroyed the triathlon course
[18:12] The Goethe quote that changed Carl's career
[20:40] Creating the Olympic triathlon format from a Sports Illustrated article
[26:57] Navigating the IOC and bringing triathlon to the Olympics
[35:44] The unconventional leadership principle that drives results
[39:07] Making tough calls when there's no right answer

🎙️ ABOUT YOUR E.P.I.C. PURSUIT:

Your E.P.I.C. Pursuit explores leadership and high performance through the lens of Excellence, Presence, Intentionality, and Curiosity. Host Mike Mooney brings 25+ years of motorsports leadership experience (NASCAR, IndyCar, F1) to real conversations with leaders who've built something remarkable. Every episode delivers actionable frameworks, insights, and strategies to accelerate your pursuit in life and business.