Your Accomplishment Is Your Achievement

All the best to the runners doing the Penang Bridge International Marathon tomorrow morning! Congratulations to those who completed the Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong, too! More importantly, thanks to the latter they raised funds for a worthy cause.

Amateur sports can be competitive, however it need not be unduly serious. Most of the time, participants train seriously for their races aiming to complete or compete. It does not make a finisher any less worthy when they choose to aim for a completion certificate, finisher medal, and post-achievement jubilation. If you make time from your routine to train, you have demonstrated your personal leadership for being ready, able and willing!

My friend, Marathon Mohan has completed in excess of 130 marathons; completing them is a foregone conclusion. Instead, he elects to be the unofficial Cheerleader – encouraging new runners to complete their first race. Another friend, Ai Lin has done about 80 marathons over the years and continues to race for the sheer joy of it. Others race because they wish to raise funds for a charity cause. Yet, others participate to show their personal support for something they truly believe in, be it for cancer research, health or for survivors.

Last week, my swim-mate Dennis and many others raced and raised funds for the Wheelathon 360. The goal was to raise funds for physically-challenged athletes to participate in overseas competition. In spite of the rain, it was a successful event that saw a very supportive community.

I have decided to assist the Cystic Fibrosis for Children of New Zealand raise funds again for Ironman New Zealand 2012. Why? Because I enjoyed the last time I engaged in this process. Fund-raisers were invited to meet the children and their parents, and celebrate in their progress. Exercise was a key intervention for keeping these children active and alive.

To each his/her own – and may you still enjoy your sense of purpose!

Leadership Lessons: Run, walk or crawl – just finish what you started. You can, occasionally, race by feeling instead of timing. Enhance and expand on your experience.

Floating On Your Performance

I love watching runners who seem to ‘float’ when they run. It is as if they possessed the winged heels of Mercury. This is especially more so with lighter runners, who may be less muscled in their torso, however have dynamically efficient legs with high turnover. You recognize the style: small strides yet large cadence. This morning, at the East Coast Park I witness a few runners with such running prowess and abilities.

Last weekend, I observed that all the elite runners at the New York City Marathon 2011 were frequently floating over the challenging five-borough course. Excellence in long-distance is measured by economy of movement, finesse, and a distinct gracefulness that hard training and frequent racing creates. Such ‘fleet-footed’ and ‘light-footed’ runners seem to skate over invisible ice, and move like fast animals. Think of the gazelle, horse, fox, panther and cheetah – functional muscles that move with power and certainty.

In the FINA Swimming World Cup 2011 held in Singapore last weekend, the top swimmers were skimming on the surface of the water. Singapore’s Tao Li lost to the world-record holder by half a second, and she was certainly floating over the dense and splashing medium.

Our body’s ability to sense ‘floating’ can be attributed to many conditions. Being on cloud nine, being in love, having a sense of recognition, and enjoying a sense of achievement can be a heady feeling. The sense of euphoria that comes from the ‘runner’s high’ or the sense of ‘winning’ can be addiction-forming.

Leadership Lessons: When was the last you floated on a splendid performance? What do you do to create natural moments of euphoria? What have you done for your staff that created a shared sense of accomplishment? How often do you celebrate your team’s success? Do you often catch people ‘doing right’?