Posted on May 27, 2008 - by Teresa

Everything I Know About Business I Learned From Running

I have BJG to thank for providing the motivation needed to keep going during 13.1 miles over the weekend. Well maybe not motivation so much as the impending humiliation of quitting and admitting failure. We set SMART goals every year with our supervisor. Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Time sensitive goals. One of my personal goals this year was to beat the time from my first ever half marathon last year. While I didn’t achieve this goal (made it in about the same time, ok a little bit longer) I none-the-less completed my second marathon at the Palos Verdes Half Marathon and I am in better physical and mental shape because of the efforts I have made to train and eat healthy in preparation.

During the two hours plus I spent running I had plenty of time to think about the analogies between business and running. The following are the thoughts of brilliance that came to me during those long steady hills and striking views.

First things first: Reduce the friction in your organization

In running I reduced friction with a product called Body Glide. I used this on my under arms, legs and feet. Unfortunately I missed between my big and second toes and ended up with a monster blister on my right foot.

Body Glide’s slogan is Prevention Is Better Than A Cure. This is true in business as well. It is so much easier to head things off before someone is rubbed the wrong way. Best cure in business – a proactive approach with open communication.

Competition is good

I will run faster and longer when I am surrounded by competition. In business I don’t dwell on my competition or my losses. But I do like to keep them in sight. What are they doing? How are they marketing? What types of organizations are they involved in? I like to keep our competition in my sights so I know when I need to push it to beat them to the finish line.

Take a break if you have to but not for long

My goal is to not walk. Now the caveat is I don’t consider walking through the aid stations walking, I just consider this good measure. But at one point between aid stations when my right arm started to feel numb I took a break from running and walked a few tenths of a mile. At work when you are in a mental funk pushing full steam ahead may not be the right answer. It is ok to take a minute, go for a walk, get a cup of coffee, work on something else and then get back into it. As long as these breaks are not excessive you may find that the rest helps you to achieve more in the end.

Be part of a team

My fiancé Elliott ran with me. Some runners are very independent and prefer to go out on their own. In many cases this works for them. For me I find great joy and benefit in having a partner. I find that when I am tired and dragging my partner keeps me going by setting a faster pace. And at times when he was not as strong I picked up the lead and pulled him through it. Within BJG we have work teams. While we do share talent and resources across the teams for the most part projects are managed and completed within each team. We track revenue, utilization, and other factors by team. Within our business different teams are successful at different times. Beyond that different markets are hot at different times. For that reason we are diversified within project types and geographical areas. This allows us to provide greater opportunity to our team members while also providing resiliency while one team or market may be sluggish.

The swag at the end is always pretty cool – Take time to celebrate

From T-shirts to recovery drinks, massages to bagels, enjoy the benefits. As a company share, reap, reward, and celebrate. Within BJG we have a party every year in December to celebrate the year, we look back on all we have accomplished and enjoy a memorable venue with great food and drink. Our Reno office holds weekly BBQ’s in the summer and invites our clients and partners to celebrate the good weather and great relationships. At our monthly company meetings we give away prizes.

Our business in many ways is similar to running; it takes continued training, mental toughness, and passion. And remember: blisters will heal; the competition will keep running; and the places you can go with your dream are endless.

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