Teamwork Under Pressure: Lessons from an Olympic Gold Medalist

This is a classic episode of With Flying Colors—and a rare one that steps slightly outside the credit union lane for a reason.

As teamwork becomes an increasingly critical theme heading into 2026, this conversation felt worth revisiting.

In this episode, Mark sits down with Joe Jacoby, an Olympic gold medalist and performance coach, to explore what high-performing teams really look like when conditions are uncertain and pressure is high.

While the setting is the Olympic Games, the lessons translate directly to leadership teams, boards, and organizations navigating complexity, change, and accountability.

This conversation isn’t about motivation—it’s about execution:

• How trust is built before it’s needed
• Why great teams communicate without noise
• How different strengths actually work together under stress
• And why teamwork isn’t soft—it’s strategic

If you lead, serve on a board, or work as part of a management team, the insights here are as relevant today as when this episode first aired.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Olympic-level teamwork looks like in real time
• Why preparation matters more than celebration
• How unspoken communication develops inside high-trust teams
• The role of diversity of thought in performance
• Lessons leaders can apply long after the competition ends