The best leaders take calculated risks. For Erin Jackson, that risk ultimately helped her achieve her Olympic gold medal dream.
Jackson was a speed roller skater by the age of 10 and snatching up awards in the sport. But Jackson had a moment of life-changing recognition at the age of 24: She could never win a gold medal in roller skating because it's not an Olympic sport. So she made the difficult switch in 2017 from the roller rink to the ice rink.
"It was a big risk to go from the top of one sport to the bottom of a new one," she said. "I waited very late to make the switch. Even though I hadn't been on the ice before, I knew that I'd put in years of athletic training — so I'd laid the groundwork."
Did she ever. Jackson skated off with the 500-meter gold medal in long-track speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She was the first African-American woman to win a speed skating Olympic medal — or a Winter gold medal in an individual sport. That was at the age of 29. Now, at age 30, she has never looked back and is in Utah training to defend her speed skating gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
For Jackson, the pathway to her success has been layered with incredibly hard work and the constant willingness to accept — and learn from — criticism from her coach and teammates. It's also come with lots of tough decisions. Learning and relearning. And, certainly in her case, plenty of self-confidence.
"I'm willing to listen to feedback from anyone — even from little kids," she said.
Have A Beginner's Mind Like Erin Jackson
Jackson got plenty of feedback during her first day on ice skates. She showed up at a local ice skating rink and stayed for hours. "I was skating with children who were at my knees and who were skating circles around me," she said. "I looked like Bambi on ice skates."
This, she says, is how to succeed at any workplace, be it a skating rink, a tech startup or a major corporation. "Take one day at a time — even if you don't feel like going to work that day," she said. "The training you do today is important to reaching the long-term goal."
Many businesses have five-year plans. For Olympic athletes, with an eye on Olympic competition every four years, it's more typical to have four-year plans. Jackson is staying on that track. And in the next Winter Olympics, she's not just hoping to defend her 500-meter gold medal — but also she's begun training for the 1,000-meter race, too. To reach that goal she's taking it step by step, and she recently finished in the top 10 at the world championships.
Put Yourself To The Test
Few have witnessed Jackson's dogged determination to succeed more closely than her longtime coach, Ryan Shimabukuro. Even more important, he's seen her own up to her own mistakes — and still move forward.
For Jackson, that challenging moment was during the 2022 Olympic team trials when — in a most unlikely qualifying race — she slipped and fell. Never mind that, entering that race, she was widely ranked as the favorite on the U.S. team to ultimately win the gold medal in the 500-meter race.
"During a live TV interview after the race, instead of blaming others, she took full accountability," said Shimabukuro. "In that moment, she owned up to it and didn't pass the blame onto anyone else."
Work As A Team
Following her fall, Jackson's leadership action clearly led to yet another unique leadership action by a fellow teammate. All of her team members knew that Jackson was by far the favorite to win Olympic gold in the 500-meter race. So the next day, her mentor and speed skating teammate, Brittany Beau, literally gave up her spot on the team so that Jackson could have the chance at the gold medal — which she did win. And, as fate would have it, a third slot ultimately did open and Beau was able to compete in the 2022 Games, too.
But in a moment of true character building, leadership begot leadership.
"Brittany told me that she didn't think my mistake should cost me the gold medal that she knew I could earn in the Olympics," said Jackson. So Beau ceded her spot. "That was a leadership moment I'll never forget," she said.
Jackson: Focus On Education
The path to leadership and success for Jackson has always been paved with one key element: education.
"My hobby has always been going to school," she said. "I'm a lifelong student."
She has a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Florida. She hasn't stopped studying. Even while training in Utah, she also earned an associate degree in computer science from Salt Lake Community College in 2020 and is working toward a degree in exercise science/kinesiology. "I asked myself: Why not pick up a couple of extra things while I'm there?" she said.
Neither of her parents attended college. That didn't stop them from strongly encouraging their daughter to get a degree. "At a very young age, my parents tricked me into thinking that books were cool toys," she said. "So I carried books with me wherever I went."
Look It Up Like Jackson
Jackson's mother — who is deceased — was her biggest supporter through high school. And her father, who moved to Salt Lake City, is always encouraging her to keep learning. When Jackson was a kid and would ask her dad things like how to spell a word or what a word meant, his response was always the same: "Look it up!"
As a result, she started carrying a dictionary around with her.
Jackson's long-term goal is to work in the field of biomechanics — perhaps designing prosthetics. She developed a personal interest in prosthetics while training with Paralympic athletes.
She also hopes to start a charitable organization that helps to bridge the financial gap for young children of color interested in speed skating. Her plans are to get this organization off the ground by summer.
Keep Practicing
In the meantime, Jackson is still in Utah, practicing. She typically arrives at the rink by 7:30 a.m. and practices for hours — including several hours in the weight room. Never mind that she has three herniated discs in her lower back.
For Jackson, time is precious. Absolutely nothing stresses her out more than poor time management — particularly her own. "I procrastinate too much so I'm working on getting better at managing my time," she said.
In the end, she says, real success isn't about winning gold medals. It's about putting in the effort to get there. And to keep improving along the way. In order to improve, she says, she always surrounds herself with great people — and then listens to them.
"Success is about always wanting to be slightly better today than yesterday," she said.
Erin Jackson's Keys
- Won the 500-meter gold medal in long-track speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, making her the first African-American woman to win a speed skating Olympic medal.
- Overcame: Switching from roller skating to ice skating.
- Lesson: "I'm willing to listen to feedback from anyone — even from little kids."
