Simone Biles: A Legacy of Leadership

At the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Simone Biles did what few have ever done: at the height of her career, she took a shocking, voluntary step back.

Biles withdrew from the Olympic games, citing an acute need to focus on her mental health. Since then, her decision has been the target of intense scrutiny, met with both congratulations and condemnation. But the impact of Simone Biles' decision goes beyond her own personal journey, empowering generations of athletes—and leaders.

Biles’ career has helped pave the way for women athletes, inspiring them to challenge the status quo and advocate for their wellbeing. Her authenticity underscores that athletes are not mere commodities or machines, but human beings with agency and dignity. By challenging stereotypes and expectations that limit women's potential and expression in sports—such as the pressure to conform to certain body types, aesthetics, or behaviors—she empowers other women to speak up and demand respect and support from their organizations and institutions. Though Biles’ 2020 decision sparked many necessary and crucial conversations, her impact didn’t end in Tokyo.

As we watch the 2024 Paris Olympics, we have witnessed in real time a phoenix rising from the ashes. In recent press and a new documentary series, Biles has been candid about her experiences in Tokyo, the lessons she learned, and what it took to reemerge as the Greatest of All Time. While her gymnastics take center stage this week, her wisdom and experience leave a legacy we can all learn from long after the closing ceremony.  

Here are three leadership lessons from Simone Biles’ historic athletic career:

1. The Power of People

Biles and her coaches have reflected on the profound impact of the lack of human contact during the Tokyo Olympics, emphasizing how loneliness and solitude affected her performance and psychological well-being. A long history of literature highlights the gravity of loneliness on physical and mental health, including increased risk of chronic disease, poor mental health, cognitive decline, increased inflammation, poor sleep quality, and a weakened immune system. In the recent documentary, Biles and her coaches recounted the starkness and sterility of entering the competition arena and having no one there.

As inherently social beings, humans thrive on community and connection. Simone Biles’ journey underscores the importance of having supportive faces in the crowd and the need for purpose of community. In her journey back to the top, Biles repeatedly cited the power of having her team behind her. She has often referred to them as the reason she is competing again, saying she couldn’t do it without their support and encouragement. While leadership often looks like a single person at the top—of a team or an organization—we must never discount the role of those around us not only on how we lead, but why.

2. The Courage of Conviction

Simone’s decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics was both difficult and essential. Amid the trauma of the abuses she and countless other women endured in the USGA system, she has described feeling like it might have been easier if her struggles had been more visible. While research shows that prolonged stress can lead to anxiety, depression, muscle tension, and inflammation, Biles believes she faced even greater criticism because people couldn’t see her struggles with mental health and well-being.

Still, her courage to stick to her convictions, prioritizing her physical and psychological well-being over the competition, opened the door for long overdue conversations about the humanity of athletes and the importance of mental health. Even the greatest leaders among us struggle; when we take time to acknowledge that struggle and properly care for ourselves, we create the opportunity to emerge stronger than ever.

3. The Gift of Vulnerability

Biles’ openness about her mental health shows that true strength lies in vulnerability. By sharing her challenges, she showed that leaders don’t have to be invincible. Her teammates said that her honesty and vulnerability made her feel more relatable, creating an environment that helped build trust and authenticity within their team. It also encouraged others to be open about their own struggles.

The sense of relatedness nurtured by vulnerability, authenticity, and humanity creates safety and belonging. This is rooted in our evolutionary history, where groups provided protection and resources. Trust, empathy, and psychological safety among people depend on this sense of relatedness and can boost oxytocin, reducing stress and enhancing empathy, trust, and collaboration.

On paper, Simone Biles is a renowned athlete. But beyond her indomitable skills on the competition floor, she is a leader that people of all professions can look to for guidance and wisdom. Her courage and willpower have inspired lessons in leadership that highlight the importance of vulnerability and conviction while simultaneously reminding us that the best leaders don’t do it alone. Her legacy reminds us of the power and potential of the human spirit and the force multiplier that is community.