Spiderman, Wonder Woman and Superman all had super powers; they had special skills that allowed them to be super heroes.

They had great powers given to them at birth that made them special. Generally speaking, they didn’t have to develop those powers, they just had them. We too were born with tremendous skills, but unlike like our comic book and big screen heroes, we have to work to understand and develop those powers.

Because they are fictional characters, it might seem easier for them. We on the other hand can’t become “Super”, “Outstanding” or even “Remarkable” in any phase of our lives, as speakers, teachers, parents, singers, ballplayers, < insert anything you want >, or leaders without help or coaching.

Our “Super Powers” can only develop with help; to reach our potential we can’t do it ourselves. Here are five powers coaching gives you to help you unleash your own potential and become the best you can be. You might even say they could be your super powers.

The Power of Focus. Having a coach can help you stay focused. Great coaches will help you determine your goals (or understand them if they already exist), and then help you stay focused on achieving those goals, regardless if they are results goals or developmental goals. Focus is critical to top performance, having a coach is perhaps the best way to increase this power.

The Power of Perspective. The best performers in any field want to know both their strengths and weaknesses, and they know that they don’t see what others see. Most people don’t accurately see their strengths, or their weaknesses, and a coach can offer that perspective, help you keep those insights in mind, and help you use those perspectives to create greater results.

The Power of Feedback. Beyond knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you need to know how you are doing. Are you getting better? By how much? Is the improvement fast enough? What are you missing? These, and a hundred other questions, can be answered with the help of a coach. Coaches are in a position to give you feedback, and great coaches give that feedback timely, wisely and skillfully to help you get the most from your experiences.

The Power of Accountability. If you are serious about your performance and improving, you must hold yourself accountable for your actions, thoughts, habits, choices and results. While some are more capable of this than others, when you have a partner who cares about you and wants you to succeed, they can help hold you accountable. This is one of the biggest powers a coach offers you.

The Power of Synergy. Have you noticed that a team can achieve more than an individual? Do you believe in synergy? Far too often people think about their own performance and learning as a self-help project – they want to take full responsibility for their improvement. While it is true that in the end, you must take the actions and do the work of learning and improving your performance, having someone “on your team” will make a big difference. The best coaches hold you responsible, but are “on your team” and help you move forward faster through the power of synergy.

Your question at this point might be, “must this be a ‘formal’ coaching relationship or can it be informal?” The answer is two-fold and important.

First, there are a variety of types of coaching and coaches, both formal and informal, that can give you these powers and help you. And, if you are truly serious about reaching your potential, you must find formal coaching relationships with people who can help you reach for your very best.

As a final thought, while this article has focused on the power you get from being coached, recognize that when you act as a coach, mentor or advisor to others, you not only help them develop, but gain some of these benefits for yourself as well.

Potential Pointer: The top performers in any endeavor have coaches to help them maintain their performance and continue to improve. The very best both receive coaching and gain even more by coaching others as well.

Remarkable leaders realize the power of coaching – both for themselves and those they lead. To get a deeper understanding of the power of coaching – and to learn from world class coaches from a variety of disciplines – join us for the next episode of RemarkableTV: Coach and Be Coached. It’s fr/ee and tips off at 11am ET on March 16. You can learn more and register now!

I love the Olympics.

I love the athleticism and the story lines and the preparation and the inspiring moments and the psychology and the history … and so much more.

As I’ve talked with people during the Games, I’ve found that even people who generally aren’t sports fans usually can find something to be interested in during the Olympics (winter and/or summer).

However, whether you’re a sports fan or not, there are valuable lessons to be learned when you view the efforts and results of these amazing athletes from the perspective of leadership and peak performance.

And so, that is my focus in this article – viewing the efforts of these athletes through the lens of leadership. They are achieving and performing at the peak of their potential. Isn’t that what you want for yourself and your team?

Here are five important lessons you can take from the Olympics and apply immediately (and for the rest of your life) to your work as a leader.

They keep score. In recent blog post I wrote about how the Olympics reminds me of the importance of measuring and keeping track, but let me keep it simple here. Olympic athletes know how they are doing all the time. They have ways to measure both actual results and measurable progress throughout the process. They can correlate their progress and success because they keep score in precise and strategic ways. If you want greater performance, you must follow their lead. How do you keep score? How happy are with your recent results?

They have clear goals. Every Olympian has different goals. For some, their goal was reached by making it to the Games, and everything on site is a bonus. Some are chasing their first medal – no matter the color, for others nothing short of Gold may satisfy them. Regardless, all have a focus on achieving their personal best effort when it matters most. This isn’t a comment about which is the best goal – I can’t judge theirs any more than I could or would judge yours. The point here is the clarity of the goal. Are your goals as clear as theirs?

They practice. And practice. And practice. They don’t expect world class performance after only putting in occasional efforts in training. They know to be their best they must practice in focused and strategic ways to reach their goals. I’m guessing you are shaking your head in agreement right now, perhaps even wondering why I would make such an obvious point. The point isn’t so obvious if you are using these athletes as your mentor for your own peak performance. Do you practice like a champion? Are you as diligent and consistent in learning the skills that will help you succeed as they are?

They play to the end. World class athletes know where the finish line is, and they play until they get to it. If they fall during their skating program, they get back up. If they are injured, they keep going (if at all possible). Even if their chance of reaching their goal is lost, they continue. How often do you hear them in interviews blaming others, the judges or the conditions? Not nearly as often as you probably hear people in your office talking about that problem being “Engineering’s fault”, or because of “the economy” or some other exterior factor. Olympic athletes play to the end, remaining singularly focused on their endeavor. Do you?

They have coaches. Have you ever heard of a world class athlete not having a coach? Even if you’ve never played a sport, you likely recognize the importance of coaching at all levels of athletic performance – even when the athletes are the best in the world. Is there something that makes our work as leader so different that we don’t need coaching? If you want to improve and haven’t made the progress you need or hope for, do you have a coach? If not, this is the single thing you can do (and provide for those you lead) to create significant improvement. Do you have a coach?

Your work likely doesn’t include skis, skates, snowboards or brooms, but these lessons should speak clearly to you. If you are serious in creating greater performance for yourself and those you lead, read this list again, asking yourself, how will I apply these starting today?

There are immediate actions you can take, and taking them is important. It is however your dedication to these principles and their application over time that will help you make Olympic-sized improvements in your results.

Potential Pointer: Leaders and high performers can learn a great deal from Olympic athletes. Choose to watch the Olympics (and all world class events) for more than their results, but also for the lessons you can apply to your own work and life.

Remarkable leaders strive to be the best – for themselves, those they lead, and the organizations and communities they serve. They know they must move towards that ideal with the zeal of an Olympic athlete. Many leaders from around the world are consciously learning and building their skills through our Remarkable Master Classes. We’ve created a series of learning opportunities that are both affordable and lasting. Check them out.