Management/Life lessons from my 10k run
Life is simple, and we often try hard to make it challenging. Something similar may be true for management, be it personal or professional, and if we look around, there would be many management lessons we could take from our everyday life.
After years of procrastination, I finally signed up for a 10K run giving me six weeks to prep up for the run. To be honest, when I started, I had limited (or somewhat very limited) hope of being able to complete the 10 k run (and if so, without an injury), but before I tell you how the next six weeks unfolded, I could draw a lot of parallels to some management lessons
Have a goal
As people say “a person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder”. The first step to achieving the goal is to have a goal. In my case, it was the simple need to 10k in 6 weeks from now, on 16th October 2022
Have the plan to achieve the goal
“A goal without a plan is just a dream”; indeed, I have been dreaming a lot over the last few decades, right from being an air force pilot to leading a startup to being the CEO of the firm. Are they possible -“Yes” but without a plan -“ Definitely No.” For my modest 10k in 6 weeks in under 90 mins, I downloaded the Adidas Runtastic app and signed up for the training plan.
The first step is always tricky
Be it a new project, team, or a new firm, the first step is always challenging. Once you take the plunge, the ride gets relatively easy. Similarly, I still remember that the first jog in the morning felt awkward, tricky, and challenging. Things started getting easier with each passing day, and it became a part of the day which I started looking forward to.
Stick to plan
Signing up for a plan is just the beginning. Making sure you stick to it is another ball game. To make sure I was accountable for the plan, I told half the world (ok - possibly just all friends and people I know at work) about this plan and my intent for the 10k run so that the shame of dropping out helps me at least stick to the plan and give it a shot. This definitely worked and I surprised myself by sticking the plan during the recent vacation at Goa as well (the first one in the post-covid era)
Workspace productivity is not a myth
The race was supposed to start at 5:20 AM, which was early for me despite being a morning person. With butterflies in my stomach, I held my nerves and began the run. Given I was running in this big a group for the first time, it felt a lot easier with so many like-minded people working toward a common goal (Workspace collaboration, anyone ?). No surprises here that I had my best 10K run timing on D-Day itself.
A pat on the back goes a long way
Halfway through the run, there were always thoughts in my mind as I started calculating that if I do a brisk walk instead of a run, I may still be able to wrap it up under my 90 mins target. But seeing hordes of people cheering for us as we ran made me push further than I ever thought I could. Similarly, at our work, it’s not always about the corner office or the highest compensation, but often, a small pat on the back or words of encouragement from the person you look up to help get the best out of people.
The last mile is trickiest
For all your runners, you would know the last 10 % of the run is always the toughest (whether you are running a 1K, 10 K, or 100K). Similar to how projects work at the office, projects often falter at the end after a lot of hard work since crossing that final hurdle is often a big battle. Luckily I stuck on, and the timer on the finish line helped me go. So always have that target in mind else it’s very tempting to wander away.
Pause – Enjoy your moment and look for your next goal
Joy, a feeling of accomplishment a sense of pride as I crossed the finish line and grabbed the participation medal and the finishing certificate. Though 10K by no means is a big achievement but I was so happy to have executed a plan which seemed impossible less than two months back.
Thoughts started crossing my mind - What’s next? Look at the most successful people and entrepreneurs you have worked with or know. What is common among them? Other than the fact that they are super intelligent humans and may have failed multiple times before tasting success but in most cases, they don’t just bask in the glory of success forever and ever. Bill Gates never stopped with Windows 95, Elon Musk with Paypal, and Jeff Bezos just selling books online. My next goal may not be a marathon later (though I would want to continue running for a while), but something different from what I may have tried before and then repeat the above steps all over again :-)
