One of my coaching clients recently ran the Athens Marathon shortly after I had completed the Nairobi StanChart marathon. In our session after these events, we had a wide-ranging discussion on the connection between leadership, life, coaching and committing to an endurance race.
One of the many clichés we hear in offices is ‘This isn’t a sprint but a marathon.’ This may mean it can’t be done quickly, will take time, needs a strategy and some thinking. Or it may mean, of course, that the person has no idea how to accomplish the task and is lowering expectations.
What connections did we make between leadership, coaching and long-distance running? Where do you see the links?
- Long-term thinking.
Sure, a marathon starts and ends (we hope) in a few hours. But few of us turn up for a race without many months of preparation. We train. We run. And run. And run. We force ourselves to do strength training. We think about our pacing. We imagine what it will be like to be after 5k, 10k and so on. For a half marathon, it takes me at least 12 weeks to prepare.
In a sense, the journey is the work and the race is the reward. The training means I tend to eat well, sleep, do a lot of hiking and generally pay attention to my health. This helps me with coaching and leadership training too.
Leaders need a plan. A strategy leading up to a big event. We may get tired, and feel as if the goal is not in reach. Yet we persevere and strive for the finishing line, the actual one of a marathon or the big work event we have been in long-term planning for.
- Discipline and perseverance.
To succeed in the workplace we need discipline and goals. Yes, it’s about what we do during office hours. But it’s also about our lifestyles. Eating well, sleeping enough, enjoying hobbies, interacting with family and friends. How we show up on marathon day is really a product of the months of training we have put into it. The hard hours, the rest, sticking to a plan and focusing on a long-term goal.
- Motivation
For both leadership and long-distance running we need to be motivated. We need energy and drive. We also need to know when we are not showing up at our best when our mind or body isn’t in the right place. Sometimes we can’t force it, and that’s fine. Give ourselves a day away from the treadmill or the office. Re-energise and re-focus.
- Breaking tasks down.
One of the things we learn in management training is to break long projects down. If something is going to take a few months, build in milestones, and know when you are 10%, or 20% towards the goal. Marathons literally have milestones. 5K, 10K. We don’t stand at the start of the race and think we have 21 or 42k to go. Or at least I don’t. No, we focus on a short-term goal, a distance and/or a time target. We achieve it, congratulate ourselves briefly and move on to the next one. Patience, acceptance and progress.
- Pacing yourself
This is connected with breaking down the distances into bite-size pieces. Many runners have a pace they are aiming for. Not too fast, so that you burn and crash, and not too slow so that you are not pushing yourself enough. Again, this has lots of parallels in the workplace. Time management is critical; we need to pace ourselves, know when to give ourselves a little more time, and know when to strive harder.
- The Buzz of Teamwork
I love working with a team to achieve goals. This can be a team I am leading, one I am coaching or one I am a part of. The right teams energize each other. I like to go into the training with others, urging each other on. Friends and colleagues wish us well, sometimes through sponsorship. We are not alone, in this seemingly lonely pursuit of marathon running.
For most of us, marathons are not about competing against the rest of the runners. Except for the elite athletes, many are looking simply to finish, or finish in a certain time. At the start of the race, there is a real buzz. We are in this together. We wish strangers good luck. We want them to do well.
During the run, some choose to run alongside friends or colleagues. You will anyway likely come to recognise people who are running at roughly your pace. They will overtake you, then you will pass them. You acknowledge each other as people on a common quest.
- Diversity and inclusion
This may not seem obvious to those not previously interested in marathons. Sure, there is a percentage of elite runners who will run at a pace unimaginable to the rest of us. You may even see them on the opposite side of the road several kilometres ahead, wondering how on earth what they are doing is possible.
However, marathons are friendly spaces for many of us. People in wheelchairs, such pushing themselves others being pushed, people who want to walk with friends, people in fancy dress. The 2023 Nairobi marathon included a band who played their way along the course. Children too, walking with parents or friends.
As in the workplace, we all benefit from being alongside those who are different to us and who approach things from a different perspective. Some who compete in marathons are truly heroic.
- Being in the present
Executive coaches talk about being fully present, being in the moment. Marathon running certainly focuses the mind. You can listen to your steps, notice clearly those around you and keep the natural rhythms. It helps if there is something interesting to look at. In 2023, the Nairobi run had views of the national park in places.
You can probably think of several other connections between leadership, coaching and long-distance running
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