With 1 Sentence, Simone Biles Just Taught Us All a Remarkable Lesson About Leading a Team

After the Olympic Gymnastics trials last week, there were three compelling stories. The first is that Simone Biles is still the most dominant gymnast of her generation–or, of any generation, really. She not only finished first at a competition that included 3 other members of the Tokyo team–including the all-around gold medalist, Suni Lee, and the gold medalist on floor, Jade Carey–she made it clear that she’s the person to beat.

Then, there was the story of Hezly Rivera, who turned 16 just a month ago, and who has only been competing at the Sr. level for less than a year. She qualified by beating out a handful of incredibly talented, and more experienced gymnasts. Getting to watch her dad–who is, to say the least, a very enthusiastic fan–cheer her on in Paris is going to make the whole thing incredibly entertaining.

The third story, which is actually my favorite, was less obvious and didn’t get nearly as much attention, but it should. In an interview after she finished competing, Biles was asked how she thinks about her role on this team:

“I know exactly how they are feeling,” Biles said. “If I can be a mentor and a guide, that’s what I am going to do to kind of lighten the load.”

A Mentor and a Guide

One of the most common structures of storytelling is the hero’s journey. The basic structure is that a hero goes on a mission in search of something great, faces challenges and adversity, and experiences transformation as they overcome those challenges and accomplish their mission. 

Along the way, they encounter someone older and wiser who has been through it before. They are the guide. And, it turns out, every hero needs a guide. 

That’s what I love about Biles response to the question. She knows she has something unique to offer, and it’s summed up perfectly in that one sentence. She knows she has an opportunity to be a mentor and a guide.

Make no mistake, Biles is still the best gymnast competing in Paris, or anywhere, for that matter. She might be 27 years old, and the oldest gymnast to represent the U.S. since 1952, but there is no question she is the favorite to win a second all-around gold medal, and she is the athlete to beat if anyone else is going to have a chance.

Last week, news articles were talking about the process of “picking Biles’ teammates” at the Olympic trials over the weekend, as though she was a forgone conclusion. My point is that Biles is still likely to be the hero of this particular Olympic story.

But, she also understands an important truth, which is that she has something to offer those coming after her. She’s still competing for gold, but she is in a unique position to be able to mentor her younger teammates.

Take Rivera, for example. Our oldest daughter is roughly the same age, and entering the same grade. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like to be entering your junior year of high school and preparing to head to Paris for the Olympics. To say that sounds overwhelming is an understatement. To be able to learn from someone who has not only been through all of this before, but also happens to be the greatest gymnast of all time, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It’s worth mentioning that Biles has a unique perspective to offer. Not only has she been doing this for a while, and not only is she the most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time, but she also went through one of the most difficult competitions in 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, where she withdrew from most of the competition after a severe case of the “Twisties.” 

As a result, she not only missed out on the opportunity to compete but she faced criticism that she let down her team and her country. By prioritizing her mental health and safety, she opened herself up to fiercely negative attacks online. 

I’m sure that if given the choice, she would have never had to go through that experience. The truth is, however, it made her stronger. It also makes her the perfect mentor and guide. Her teammates are going to face huge challenges but they’ll be just a little bit lighter with Biles on their team.