What’s The Next Big Thing?

After racing in endurance challenges for the past eight years, I occasionally experience hearing that ‘voice in my head’ that suggests ‘what’s next?’ I have heeded it, and wondered what, if I so choose, would be my NEXT challenge?

Challenges are mainly goals that we assign ourselves to, with the intention of achieving or completing them as soon as we can. Our Bucket List may involve more time, and may include ‘nice to have’ things. Challenges are more deliberate because one we set our minds to them we would have to comply with our conditions to attain them.

Many Ironman triathlon finishers move towards off-road triathlons, trail running, marathons, ultra-marathons, long-distance open-water swims (OWS) and charity-based challenges (most distance covered in 24 hours). They make the shift due to boredom and the routine of discipline, and so apply that discipline elsewhere. This allows them to re-charge their bodies and minds from the grueling lifestyle of enduring physical training. A proper period of rest away from prolonged routine can rejuvenate us. Even injury gives us an opportunity to take stock, and review our inventory of wants and needs.

Leadership Lessons: Seek your next challenge. Uncover those that you ditched away. A challenge is a goal with a deadline. Reduce procrastination. Create enough reasons for moving forwards towards your dream. Make your challenge compelling enough to stay focused on. Above all, practise, rehearse and train for the challenge.

When Your Day Drags On…

We face challenges each day in various forms: crises, disagreements, arguments, emergencies, and last-minute requests. The impact range by the range of mild irritants to annoyingly long meetings to conflict with people at the workplace can be minor or severe. How do you face them, before you declare a face-off or stand off situation? And, it can grow to feel like a very long day. Think of the television character, Jack Bauer and his very long day, translated moment to moment, over 24 episodes.

Albert Einstein described his Theory of Relativity well; everything is comparative. We can compare ourselves against others, yet we need not have to emulate them completely nor copy their strategies or techniques exactly. Stop following and start leading! Realise your own potential. Be the best YOU, you can be!

Chrissy Wellington describes it well in her interview. ‘It’s all about keeping calm under pressure and knowing that triumph and disaster are one and the same thing. You can win or lose, and often losing can be just as much of a learning experience as the victory can.’ An ultra-marathon or Ironman triathlon is a full-day event, and it can go into over-time, with no extra pay. How do you endure and persist through a challenging day, fraught with excitement, mood dampeners, un-welcomed surprises (usually mechanical crises) and unfriendly weather.

Matthew Wong provided a comprehensive report of his second Ironman triathlon in Regensberg, Germany – a weather-unfriendly day for 2,000 participants. Congratulations, mate on your achievement!

Fear not - all is not lost. Being prepared helps us manage some of these crises. Openness to whatever punches our way helps deflect some of the painful impact these close brushes make on us. Resilience gives us some strength to rise up when we are dropped temporarily. An obstacle is merely a setback, which can be worked around or through if need be. If a sprinter drops a hurdle on the way she continues, as she is not penalized. She still needs to complete the race unfazed, assuring herself that it is all right and mistakes happen.

Leadership Lessons: How do you manage a day when things go awry? How do you cope with adversity, exigencies and uninvited guests? What is your self-talk like when you begin to drag your feet? 

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Yesterday, I ran a tempo run for 10.5K at sub-5-minute pace. I felt better since the sniffles were kept at bay. My legs stepped up to the challenge and my lungs cleared up our issues. The last few weeks, I felt irritated having to clear my nasal passages. Snort missiles were not pleasant to look at, or be at the receiving end of. Today’s midday swim drill session and evening 2-hour ride was a good indicator of my fitness before my long-distance triathlon race in mid-September. One more workout tomorrow before I head off, to cash in on my frequent-flyer points. Looking forward to next Sunday’s King of the Road 16.8K run! Onwards!

Captivated By Challenges

Singaporean climber, Khoo Swee Chiow will attempt his biggest challenge yet. He will complete all eight major summits in the world, beginning with his third attempt at climbing Mt. Everest on 15 April. He is sponsored Air Asia, which covers all the destinations to his mountains of choice. One of interviewees, Steven Novick climbed Everest successfully after a mano a mano battle with cancer.

There is a certain allure of danger that appeals to people. The danger is usually entrenched in some degree of risk and potential loss, or possibility of injury. It is no different when we travel on a plane, train or automobile; raising a child; mentoring a high-potential staff; trying out a new recipe. There are recipes for disaster around us, and we need to be aware and cognizant of them.

We wish Clifford Lee of Singapore the very best in his 11^th attempt for an Ironman triathlon finish. He will aim to complete Ironman South Africa this weekend. His recent report indicates choppy water conditions for the swim; we hope that the sea will calm down to present a good swim for him. Clifford completed, arguably, the toughest Ironman course in the world, Ironman St. George in Utah last year. He will be the first Singaporean to complete 11 226K races. I am, one month and one race, behind him and I can’t wait to complete my 11^th Ironman next month in Lanzarote, The Canary Islands. The game is afoot!

If IM St George and IM Lanzarote lay claim to being two of the toughest Ironman routes in the word, then is this the most dangerous bike tour in the world?

How do you identify future leaders in the company? Do you relish identifying high potentials? How do you know if your choice of future corporate champions was the right decision? What if you made a mistake by making a counter-intuitive selection?

Leadership Lessons: What captivates you? What would you consider as challenging? Would you attempt something just for the sheer heck of it?

Challenging You

Marathon Mohan has completed 100 marathons, and is diving into his 115^th. He runs for the sheer joy that he experiences - what a splendid idea!

According to this interview, Mohan’s friend challenged him to beat the latter’s 13 marathon resume, and he did. He has also run his last 10 and more marathons in Vibram Five Fingers. Now, that’s really giving your feet a challenge!

How often do you challenge yourself? Do you set tough, stretch goals? How do you feel when you face challenges? What on your Bucket List are major challenges?

Sure, you don’t necessarily achieve all your goals immediately, yet given time, most targets are possible. Sometimes, obstacles block our way only to resurface as motivators. Failure is feedback, and yet-to-realise results. When you see people wearing their post-marathon t-shirt with the declaration ‘Finisher of 42.195km’, that is a consequence of having met their running challenge. The finisher medal and certificate and, where due, the podium finish are testament to having set and fulfilled on these challenges. Being interviewed by the media is also a very strong testimonial and recognition for being a leader in one’s field of excellence.

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This morning, I did my first ride since last weekend’s roller-coaster marathon. I expected to meet the ENR triathlon train along the way and I did. Clifford, Lap Huan, Desmond, Matthew and Reeves met me at the road junction just as I was about to take the ascent up a moderate stretch of road. I led the train for the remainder of the first loop with Lap Huan playing tag with me. The two short climbs up the side road was enough to exhaust us, and my legs were obviously reminded of its recent physical ordeal. I enjoyed the short ride and hope I will be fully ready for the 150-180K ride in Malaysia next Sunday.

Tomorrow: Our interview with Adventure-Racer, Wilson Low.

Leaders Are Fairly Outnumbered!

There are more managers and supervisors out there than leaders. And, there are even less practising leaders out of this smaller group. A formal title of ‘Team Leader’ or ‘Manager’ needs to be backed up by behaviors that demonstrate your competency, clarity, confidence, credibility and commitment as a leader (the 5 ‘C’s). It takes a lot to live up to the ‘L’ word.

It may be simple being a leader, but it is not easy. It requires soft skills, yet these skills may be hard to exhibit – no pun intended. Here are some challenges of being a leader:

1)    You can be fair to your staff, yet they can accuse you of being unfair.

2)    Your staff also determines how effective you are as a leader.

3)    Using leadership terms (in your conversations) may make you sound impressive, but may not be expressive to others.

4)    You are being monitored all the time. The moment you violate the consistency code (i.e. walk the talk), you get tanked for it. Say what you will do, and do it!

5)    You are either loved or loathed. There are no grey areas of allowance. Leadership is black and white for the masses. To your staff, either you have it or you don’t. That’s how stringent their personal and professional criteria are.

6)    You are expected to be open-minded and follow others. The leader is expected to follow his/her colleagues, at times.

Having said all this, leadership requires vision, motivation, decisiveness and commitment. How will you lead your people this week? How will you add to the pool of emerging leaders? How will you hone your leadership skills this week?

The Allure of the Extreme in Personal Leadership

The phrase ‘extreme sports’ refers to high risk sporting activities, including those adventure races. Mountaineering and rock-climbing is categorized here, as climbers risk extreme weather and terrain conditions. Surfing in shark-infested waters raises its risk-level higher than if swimming in the public pool. Mountain-biking, off-road, is a dangerous sport if you allow yourself to get careless and accelerate downhill without control. Cycling on public roads is becoming an extreme sport according to the many cyclists I spoke to. Swimming in local waters, polluted by careless dumping and littering can be extreme, too!

Within four hours of its release, Ironman Western Australia 2011 sold out completely. This is akin to Lake Placid and other popular American Ironman distance triathlons. IM New Zealand 2011 sold out for the first time in its two-decade history, way before the middle of this year. IM Lanzarote and IM Canada followed suit. In response to this frenzy of interest for the 226K triathlons, more races are being created including those non M-Dot sanctioned races. Boutique races like Vineman and Norseman still attracts neophytes and seasoned triathletes. Disappointed latecomers are churning the Ironman/Long-Distance Triathlon waters to have a bite of the next opened event, or special slots.

What exactly is the attraction of Ironman/M-Dot races? What makes Ironman triathlon such an exciting proposition? My casual surveys at such races reveal that:

1)    It is one of the toughest physical challenges you can undertake (and succeed with guidance and hard work).

2)    It is a great confidence-booster (check out the heightened postures after a race).

3)    You get to wear cool t-shirts and post-race merchandise.

4)    It shifts one’s personal paradigms, and redefines personal limits.

5)    Stating on your LinkedIn page that you completed an Ironman triathlon may invite curious questions from other members (so, it enhances networking possibilities).

6)    You get more photographs tagged of you even when you raced solo.

7)    When you break down the 226K-race into its components, jaws will drop.

8)    The facial expressions you earn are (after you describe your race is), simply, priceless!

Perhaps, we are searching for the next challenge to accomplish. Challenges create a sense of purpose; intrinsic motivators like our values, beliefs and behaviors support our purpose. Our purpose links to reality when we plan and create objectives for ourselves. We may be seeking the next metaphorical ‘highest mountain’ to climb? After all, taglines and cliches like ‘anything is possible’ or ‘nothing is possible’ becomes the de rigeur personal standards for personal leadership? Or, in a matter of speaking, we get to ‘brag for life’.