Excellence, Respect, Differences – Lessons from the Olympics
By Andrew Hertz, MD, President Zest Pediatric Network
The Winter Olympics concluded last week. As they often do, they left me reflecting on more than athletic performance.
There is something compelling about watching human beings pursue excellence at the highest level. Years of preparation, discipline, and sacrifice converge in moments measured in seconds. We see strength, grit, and resilience. We see what is possible when talent meets effort.
But what struck me most in these Games was not simply the excellence. It was how the athletes came together and supported one another. In an arena defined by competition, and the associated goal of beating your opponents and winning, athletes from different nations embraced at the finish line. They congratulated one another. They celebrated each other’s victories and comforted each other in defeat. They respected differences in style, training, and background, even as they competed fiercely.
They expected excellence from themselves and refrained from demeaning their competitors. I was deeply impressed by the maturity of these young men and women.
At Zest, we operate within a framework of six Core Values:
Act with Nimble Innovative Grit
Be Humble
Expect Excellence
Grow Together
Make Them Smile
Show Up and Own It
Watching the Olympics, I saw each of these exemplified.
Athletes adjust constantly to weather, snow conditions, and unfamiliar courses. They remain nimble and innovative under pressure. They compete with grit yet bow their heads humbly on the podium or while congratulating the victor who edged them out. They demand excellence of themselves. They grow because they compete against one another. And when the moment comes, they step forward and own it – win or lose.
But woven through all of it was something quieter and equally powerful: respect across differences.
We are living in a cultural moment often defined by division. And this can be harmful to our children.
Children are exposed to tone and attitude long before they understand substance. They hear how adults describe those who disagree with them or who are simply different. They absorb attitude long before they form opinions of their own.
And then they go to school. They encounter classmates whose families believe differently, speak differently, worship differently, and interpret the world differently.
For many parents, the tension is not whether differences exist. Differences have always existed. The tension is this: How do we teach our children to respect others without diluting or abandoning our own deeply held values, customs, and beliefs?
The Olympics offer a helpful frame. One can compete fiercely and still honor the dignity of the competitor. One can stand firmly and still listen carefully.
In the exam room, we practice this daily. Families bring diverse perspectives, concerns, fears, and beliefs. Our role is not to win an argument. It is to listen. To understand context. To meet people where they are. We hold ourselves to professional excellence in care. But we are also accountable to be humble and curious, as those qualities are essential to building the trust-filled relationships that are the foundation of Zest.
The same is true in our homes.
We must consider our child’s age as we teach and model behavior. Young children require security first. They need to know what their family believes, and they need assurance that kindness is not conditional. Kindness is an expectation—always.
As they mature, curiosity becomes the next developmental task. Tweens benefit from being asked what they think and why. Adolescents, forming identity in a highly visible world, need coaching not only in how to express conviction, but also in how to set boundaries—when to engage thoughtfully and when to disengage respectfully.
If elite athletes competing for gold can embrace one another across national lines, surely, we can aspire to teach our children how to navigate differences on a playground or in a classroom.
Our children do not need us to shield them from difference. They need us to model how to engage it—and to embrace differences as part of what is wonderful about our society and about being human.
This week, notice your tone when discussing current events. Notice the language you use when referencing people who see the world differently. Your children are not only listening to your positions; they are internalizing your posture.
Invite conversation. Ask what differences they observe among peers—in dress, ideas, attitudes. Guide them in considering perspectives beyond their own without compromising family values. Teach them that listening is not surrender and that disagreement need not become disrespect.
If we can cultivate homes where conviction and compassion coexist, we are doing more than managing the current cultural moment. We are preparing children for a future that will require resilience, discernment, and the ability to collaborate across difference.
Let’s remember the Olympic spirit and emulate the Olympians. Learn from competition. Learn from those who are different. Learn to collaborate with those we may view as competitors.
It makes us stronger.
