Avoid Letting Your Inner Sloth Get You

It is official: I am officially OFF running for six weeks. I have been diagnosed with a stress fracture of one of my left metatarsal bones. It is a hairline crack that can deteriorate into an acute fracture if I subject it to more weight. This is my first injury in my relatively injury-free career. Reeves said that I should take this time to fully rest in an uninterrupted six-year-string of active racing in Ironman triathlons and marathons.

In one week, I underwent an MRI session, saw a podiatrist and a sports physiotherapist – new experiences for me. I also learnt heaps about what to do, and what not to do. For the next five weeks, I am encouraged to lay off running as it places two much impact on my forefoot. To think I actually completed Ironman Switzerland with a panful foot fracture. I can relate to the pain that Julie Diebens had to experience in Kona last year, before she dropped out gracefully from the marathon leg. I had a dismal marathon-within-an-Ironman, and completion became my priority at Lake Zurich on 15 July. I have, gratefully, licked my wounds and hobbled on.

It is also apparent that my status in the Berlin Marathon (30 September) is hovering like a menacing, dark cloud. I may have to become an enthusiastic spectator and usher my friends into the finishing chute. I was expecting a PB at this year’s race. My 2010 foray into this world-class, record-breaking course, was a cold, rainy morning and a disappointing 3:37 finish among 7,700 finishers before me. All I will now is take stock of my recovery, do my rehabilitation, wear orthotics, and focus on my swimming and riding. It is so easy to get lazy, and find excuses to remain inactive.

Congratulations to Kevin Siah of Perth for his 1:29 finish in today’s 21K run! Congratulations to Teryn Tham for a PB at the inaugural Ironman USA in New York City. It was scary to note that millions of litres of semi-treated sewage was flushed into the Hudson River 15 hours before the swim start (due to a busted pipe).

The Need For Proper Positioning

Jack Trout and Al Ries – marketing gurus – wrote the definitive 1981 book ‘Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind’ which has become a must-read book for those practising marketing and branding. It can certainly be extended to leadership.

Positioning also shows you how to:

1) Build your strategy around your competition's weaknesses

2) Reposition a strong competitor and create a weak spot

3) Use your present position to its best advantage

4) Choose the best name for your product

5) Determine when, and why less is more

6) Analyze recent trends that affect your positioning

Battles may be won without seeing your adversaries. War of words can take place off-line as well as online. The digital domain has become a non-physical, yet honest platform for people to air their emotions and opinions. Each approach has its consequences and impact, and these must be considered for we leave our imprint behind.

Writers leave their indelible print behind. Noam Chomsky writes about his reaction to global news and questions our over-reaction and premature celebratory responses.

Leadership Lessons: How do you earn the hearts and minds of your team members? How does your staff view you in their mind’s eye? What is your status to them? How alert and aware are you of the impact of your messages on others? How do you lead the head, hearts and hands of your people?

Shorter and Sharper Sessions

Five weeks out to IMWA. My preparation menu includes shorter but frequent sessions; 2-hour sessions of intense riding, or one hour hard running followed by an hour of swim drills. Splitting a six-hour bike ride into two sessions of three hours, is still achieving the results. An hour of running can be made more exciting and rigorous with a mixture of surfaces such as trail, track and grass. Throw in a couple of slopes and you have as stunningly, challenging workout. Intensity shifts the body into overload, and over-drive. Train as if you will race makes sense.

Next week, I will deliver a mini-workshop on innovative practices with my associates. I will make a 40-minute presentation while my colleague will do his part in 25 minutes. I suggested the format of 10/20/30 as proposed by Guy Kawasaki (in ‘The Art of the Start’) to my colleague. The ability to condense our thoughts into a specific timeframe ensures that we crystallize the thinking into a pinpoint focus. Say less and mean more. When we cleverly integrate PowerPoint slides into a verbal presentation, it enhances its effectiveness. A picture is worth a thousand words! Infuse the passive listening with active questioning and interactive activities, and you change the impact of your delivery.

KISS it.