What makes an Olympian? While there is no consistent formula, there are several attributes that, when combined, can produce a champion.

Some say it’s in the genes. Three of the children Kathy and Randy Gregg are either participating in Vancouver or training for the next Games. Kathy, a speed skater in two Olympics, met former Edmonton Oiler Randy while both were competing at Lake Placid in 1980. Although Kathy knows a thing or two about being a top competitor, she also takes care not to pressure her children.

That special spark is also a component of an Olympian. When top skier Warren Shouldice was a little boy, he delighted in daredevil tactics such as bungee jumping from a back yard tree. He started playing hockey, then began gymnastics and finally turned to his first big jump on a pair of skis. He hasn’t looked back ever since.

There is no doubt that a superhuman work ethic contributes to the formula, both on the part of the athlete and his or her family. The parents of ski jumper Trevor Morrice recall countless of hours of engaging in fundraisers, as well as helping tend to the jump at Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park. The jump is actually cared for by parents of athletes, as they clear and pack down the snow. Ski jumping is not the best-funded sport, and annual expenses run into the thousands. Thinking that the sport would be less expensive than hockey for their son, Brent and Terri Morrice are now able to laugh about their misperception.

Support from family and friends is critical. Despite the best conditioning and training, the unthinkable can happen. Such was the case with Drew Neilson, who in 2006 was seriously injured. His mother and stepfather tried to do all they could. They are currently hoping Drew will get his chance at a medal in Vancouver.

Bobsleigh pilot Lyndon Rush seldom gets to celebrate his November birthday with his family, as he is typically gone for weeks training for the Canadian team. Krysta Rush, his wife, manages the household and cares for their two little girls. She says it is not easy, but is glad of her husband’s success.

Over the years I have learned a player can be a leader that even becomes more effective than the official leader himself. We have all seen it: Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls. Mike Eurozini led the 1980 U.S. Hockey team.

On 2/16/10 there was a Wall Street Journal article that looked at Olympic athletes of years past and highlighted what they have done and are doing today. I was pleased to see former Nordic Combined Skier Ryan Heckman among those.

While Ryan never took home an Olympic medal, he took away - and gave — much more to the Nordic Combined team. He emerged as a leader when we needed it most; in fact, if there is one athlete I credit with the turnaround that started more than two decades ago, it’s Ryan.

Ryan joined the U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined team within the first few years that I took over and he was a game changer. Many executives hear me talk about the importance of cultural fit and finding the right talent to embody the organization and culture. Ryan did that for us. While many athletes before him were satisfied with just making the national team, Ryan pushed himself and others for peak performance to be the best possible.

It wasn’t just about being on the team…or even being a national champion (Ryan was multiple national champion in two different disciplines). Nor was it enough to just make the Olympic team. (Ryan was the youngest Olympian at the 1992 Olympics.) He wanted the U.S. team to be the best in the world. He lived it. And, he led it.

Ryan was never the biggest or strongest athlete; in fact, he was the exact opposite, but his beliefs and commitment made him a giant and a true visionary. He was not afraid to call out unproductive behaviors of either myself or his teammates even when it was not the popular thing to do. He was often ostracized or given the “freeze out” by those athletes who held to the culture of old.

He never expected any more from anyone than he expected from himself. He gave it all physically and emotionally and welcomed being judged and evaluated on results and performance based metrics. I learned a lot from his spirit.

When a leader is going to attempt to change an overall culture in an organization, you need an athlete or executive to model and showcase the desired behaviors. The leader then needs to hope and pray the executive or athlete gets the results to demonstrate how the new culture can drive and produce. I was lucky enough to have that in Ryan.

It is tough emotionally on these types of employees and athletes who forge ahead into unknown and often unaccepted waters. Yet, without this kind of franchise player or exemplary executive, real sustained culture change is very difficult to attain.

A leader cannot change the culture until you have a believer to follow. The current Nordic Combined team has three guys in the top six (Todd Lodwick, Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane), who are reaping the benefits of the door that Ryan opened.

Thanks Ryan for all your contributions over the years. The great things the Nordic Combined team has accomplished in 2009 and 2010 has very little do with the physical training or technical competence; it is because of the culture created in this team years ago.

Belgium

Did you know- The host country’s team placed first at the VII Olympic Games in the early 1920s. Since then, Belgium became the fourth European team to win the international title. The national squad won all its matches. In the gold-medal game, the local team defeated Czechoslovakia 2-0. Fifty-two years on, Belgium, the host country, came third in the European Championship.

Denmark

Did you know- Competing in its first Olympic Tournament in 1908, Denmark placed second in London (England), ahead of the host country. By 1912, the Danish Olympic team also won the silver medal in Stockholm, Sweden, outpacing the Netherlands, Finland, Russia, Norway, and Finland. In the semi-finals, Denmark routed Holland 4-1. In the gold medal match, Denmark lost to Britain 4-2.

Estonia and Lithuania

Did you know- Estonia and Lithuania -both were Soviet republics from the 1940s to the 1990s– sent national teams to the VIII Olympics in Europe. However, in the first round, they were beaten by America and Switzerland.

France

Did you know- Like Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Italy, the national team of France was one of the favorites to win the 2002 World Championship in Asia, but the European squad was eliminated in the semi-finals. Certainly France disappointed fans by finishing 28th. On July 12, 1998, it -host country– won the men’s football World Tournament, defeating Brazil 3-0. Without a doubt, the French squad played one of the best matches of its history. It was the first World Cup victory for France.

Italy

Did you know- In the XII FIFA World Championship in Spain, between June 13 and July 11, 1982, Italy tied with Cameroon 1-1, but it won the global event. In the final, the Italian squad,led by Paolo Rossi, defeated West Germany 3-1. During the universal tournament, Mr Rossi scored six goals.

The Netherlands

Did you know- The Dutch men’s football team competed in the Summer Games for the second time. At the VI Olympic Games, the national team defeated 9-0 Finland. The Dutch squad finished third and won the bronze medal.

United Kingdom & France

Did you know- By the early 1900, the national squad of the United Kingdom won the First Olympic Tournament in Paris, France. Meanwhile, the local team was runner-up and won the silver medal.

West Germany (now Germany)

Did you know- By the early 1970s, the Olympic Football Tournament took place without Italy, Great Britain, Holland, Argentina, and Uruguay. The winner was Poland, followed by Hungary (silver medal) and the German Democratic Republic (bronze medal).