Swimming against the tide

Michael Phelps showed why leaders should get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Less than nine months before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps slipped and fell outside his training facility and fractured his wrist. Even as the world wondered whether he would be able to resume competitive swimming after doctors said the fracture would take months to heal, Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, had other ideas. After much coaxing from them, doctors surgically repaired the wrist — and the champion was back in water just 10 days later. 

The rest is history as Phelps won eight gold medals. Behind the astonishing success was incredible hard work. Phelps started swimming without the use