S1 Ep4: Andrew Parsons on inspirational leadership

A Winning Mindset

Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, talks about leading the Paralympic Movement through crises and how his leadership style has been inspired by Paralympians.

In this episode, he reveals how his career progressed from intern to President of one of the most important sporting movements on the planet.

Parsons, who became IPC President in 2017 after overseeing the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, discusses the trials and tribulations of Rio 2016, being welcomed onto the podium by his friend and Brazilian athlete Daniel Dias and the power and importance of being a strong leader.

“My leadership style is I see myself as a server. I serve the Movement, the Paralympic athletes. We need to serve them and the President is just the first server. If you have the right team around you and the right purpose, we can overcome all situations and challenges.”

Key leadership skills are discussed such as problem solving, having a clear vision and focusing on things he can change.

He also speaks in depth on the importance of his role in changing perceptions of persons with disabilities and the opportunities they have in life. “One of the things we want to have an impact on is having more persons with disabilities working as employees, owners of businesses, bosses, as it happened after London 2012. There are one million more people with disabilities working because of that Games, and employment means citizenship. Diversity should be something that is valued, not only tolerated and respected. The beauty of the world is that we are all different.”

He also discusses the plans for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games following their rearrangement and Netflix’s incredible new film, Rising Phoenix, which charts the growth of the Games and the athletes who make it one of the greatest sporting spectacles globally.

Learning topics for this episode include crisis leadership, inclusive leadership, servant leadership, organizational leadership, team leadership and global leadership.

Allianz is a long-standing partner of the International Paralympic Committee. Together, we’re proud to bring you this series of podcasts. We aim to help you move forward in all aspects of your personal and professional life.

By hearing from Paralympic stars, you’ll be introduced to stories that inspire and change the way you think. Stories of facing life’s challenges with confidence, determination and excellence, and the true power of having the right team behind you.