Conversations with Achievers: CEO & Triple-Ironman Winner

I am pleased to announced that we will feature our next CONVERSATIONS WITH ACHIEVERS with TOBIAS FRENZ. He has qualified and completed the Kona Ironman Triathlon, attempt the Sahara Desert Race, a triple Ironman triathlon, swam through shoals of jellyfish without a wetsuit, and set a record for the local ultra-marathon.

He will discuss his approach to endurance sports, corporate leadership, racing strategies, a sporting lifestyle, and life after Ironman triathlons.

This interview will appear in two parts. Stay tuned! Spread the story!

How Do You Go Green For A Year Without Being Broke?

The Global Green Movement can be simplified as: Recycle, Reduce, and Re-use. Of course, you can solicit others for their approaches or be creative and original yourself.

How do you save the earth? How do you become green? How do you become more ecologically conscious?

Do you need to stop driving? Take public transport exclusively? Stretch the use of paper? Expand every drop of water that flows your way? Work in only one lighted room? Develop Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms, and check on everything that glows, emits and radiates?

Here’s a personal leadership challenge for you.

Here’s a team leadership challenge: Go influence others to do, likewise.

Be a green leader. Be like the Incredible Hulk: Green, menacing and powerful! It’s a Purple Cow, of sorts, except that it is green. Lead by your green examples. I like to add one more R: Respect Our Environment.

Picture Credits: Promotional artwork for the cover of World War Hulk #1 (Jun, 2007). Art by David Finch.

Are You the Blind Leading the Blinded?

I have been utterly impressed with several cases of vision-impaired triathletes completing Ironman triathlons and marathons. My friend, Koh Boon Pin has assisted both wheelchair-assisted athletes and visually-impaired runners, successfully, through to the finish line.

Leaders have sense of vision; this can be manifested as foresight and insight. However, during crisis our vision may be blurred by distractions, mistakes, rude revelations and panic? How do you prevent shortsightedness during a leadership assignment?

The simplistic answer: Get your leaders prepared!

Preparation means many things in the execution of a project or work plan. Plans are just these – plans. Plans need to be initiated and executed, or else they mean nothing. Leaders should have a repertoire of skills, knowledge and attitude to get them started. They can then enhance it through on-the-job learning, experience and exposure to the job requirements and situations.

Preparing people means engaging them, and getting them to engage themselves in situations that gets them resourceful. Ensure that tasks and challenges are possible, not impossible. You do not build confidence if a staff is doomed to fail from the start. This form of sabotage reflects badly on your own style, values and character. Self-esteem is a precious asset that builds into confidence, courage and long-term commitment. Build on people’s potential through encouragement, praises, compliments and constructive feedback. Mean leaders have no meaning – they are blinded by their personal agenda and perversity to dominate others; they are truly sightless!

Delegation is relevant for it is one intervention of leadership. However, lest you shoot your arrows accurately and with a target, you may miss very badly. Delegate only to those who you consider to have the competencies. It does not matter if stretch them with your goals as long as they attempt to learn through the process.

As leaders, we pave the way for future leaders. The future leader is not one bound by the rigidity of rules, or one who wards off risks with the utterance of ‘no’ or the deft strokes of a pen. In a digital world, you cannot thrash your responsibilities – some of which extend far into the area of active relationships, use of emotional intelligence, commitment and a sense of clarity. The blame/shame model of managing (not leading) is outdated, outmoded and obsolete. Lead in this decade with last decade’s approach and it may be futile. Pull must make way for push. Collaboration is a straight line to teamwork. Communicate, communicate and communicate. You must be seen, heard and felt – in both analog and digital modes.

The blind cannot be leading the blind anymore. It doesn’t matter if you have only one-eye, too; you need depth of vision as well as peripheral vision. Know what to see, and notice what’s going around you. Impaired vision leads to a misplaced sense of purpose. Refocus your vision. See your leadership in various perspectives. View it through your people’s eyes.

Putting The Skinny On It

I recalled a week back when I was in the A&E ward, that a senior nurse said that I was very skinny in my face. She joked that I could use lipo-injections to fatten up my gaunt looking face.

The body of an endurance athlete is quite the antithesis of health. Due to a naturally lower bodyweight and body fat composition marathoners, triathletes and the like, look emaciated and almost unhealthy. My sunken left cheek contrasted with my swollen right cheek; my face looked asymmetrical in appearance. My half-and-half look was similar to the comic-book character of Two-Face in the Batman series.

Comparison is the ability to look for similarities when two things are placed side by side. Contrast is when you distinguish differences between two things. So how does a pre-race Ironman triathlete compare with a tall, skinny latte? Both are low in fat, and thin on the texture!

The seemingly unhealthy and shrunken look is a byproduct of longer hours of endurance type training. The endurance athlete consumes more calories, and uses up a substantial amount of energy during these extended training sessions. The energy equation is clear – output exceeds input equals weight loss.

I have kept my, sometimes, skeletal appearance; it is part of my body’s adaption to the 10 or more hours of exercise a week. It has remained my badge of honour, next to my almost unnatural wardrobe comprising post-race t-shirts. It could be worst – a ward robe with an open back. How’s that for a fashion statement, next to our fondness for anything spandex/Lycra?

Sometimes, the unhealthy and starved look is a picture of fitness, but a canvas of perceived unhealthiness. Skinny is as skinny does!

Credits: Cover of Batman Annual #14 (1990). Publisher: DC Comics. Pencils by Neal Adams. Two-Face was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

Something We Need To Know About Cystic Fibrosis

It is three more weeks to Ironman New Zealand. In spite of my minor setback, I am still concerned that I can do much more for kids with the debilitating condition called cystic fibrosis. I would appreciate if you will make a small donation to this small NZ non-profit organisation.

Here are some facts about cystic fibrosis:

* Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited condition that is carried by 1 in 25 New Zealanders. 1 in 3,000 births in New Zealand will be a baby with Cystic Fibrosis

* Cystic Fibrosis affects the glands of the body that normally secrete “mucus”…lungs and nasal passages, the pancreatic digestive enzymes, reproductive ducts in males…thickening the secretions to block up tubes, ducts and passageways

* People with CF (PWCF) are particularly susceptible to lung infections and cross infection is a concern with frequent hospital stays for intensive IV antibiotics. Progressively, CF can also cause diabetes, asthma, liver disease, infertility and permanently reduced lung capacity which, in many cases, requires a lung transplant

* Life expectancy for New Zealanders with CF is 29 to 30 years … a lucky few will live longer, many will die younger. 30 years ago, few lived beyond their 8^th birthday

* There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, only life-extending medication and therapy

A Challenging Ironman Proposition

It has been a whole week since I was involved in an unfortunate bike crash. Most of my wounds are nearly healed, except for my right shoulder’s bike rash and the right pinky. Bending my fingers hurt and I will need to get some sense of flexibility and mobility in both sets of joints before I can resume some tapering work prior to my triathlon on 6 March, in Taupo, New Zealand.

Here are some factors I have to fully consider before I can seriously consider racing in Taupo:

1) My first attempt at Taupo in 2006 saw a cancelled swim (due to metre-high waves and white water) and 90-100kph winds whip through the locality. We completed a 90km ride and half-marathon.

2) I need a bike to ride. Building a bike from ground up will take time, and expense, and time to refit my riding geometry.

3) Consider using my existing road bike (which I used originally in Taupo), and strap on some clip-on aero-bars; two more waterbottle cages; and purchase/borrow a pair of ZIPPS 404s wheels and Continental Competition tyres.

4) Review my race strategy, expectations and goals. I will need to be open-minded to any possibilities.

5) Rethink my tapering strategy. How will I start training till near race day? How soon can I start working out? According to the A&E doctor, I can begin training once my sinus clears itself of its pooled blood.

6) My skin is still not ready for the water, so I will miss many water sessions. Nevertheless, once I can hit the pool/sea, I will do as many short sessions to build up my fitness in my upper body.

7) My flexibility is compromised, in my right shoulder and fingers. Either I modify my stroke or focus on gliding and finishing the swim leg.

8) This will be my last Ironman race (ninth in four years) until early next year. I will focus the rest of this year on qualifying for the Boston Marathon (2011).

9) Last of which, should I do this race or not? I keep hearing ‘There’s always another race!’

As such, it will be an interesting week ahead for me. Stay tuned.

Charity Through Physical Challenges: Is It Effective?

What do celebrities Gordon Ramsay and Katie Holmes (Tom Cruise’s wife) have in common? They both run marathons. The infamous chef Ramsay runs annually the London Marathon – that may account for him being lean and mean.

Now, Shia LaBeouf joins these marathoners in his 26.2 mile run on 21 March with the Los Angeles Marathon to raise money for charity

I wonder how such interventions raise awareness about a cause, as well as raise the funds to sustain it? Does star power make a difference as it has in a global cause versus a community level one? Most celebrities seem to have an adopted charity. Ellen DeGeneres (newest judge on American idol) supports her cause with an expanding retail line, and actively announces her supporting charities on almost every one of her shows.

What do you think of the notion of co-branding? Star brand sits with the brand of a charity. When all goes well, it is a symbiotic relationship. At worst, one will be parasitic on the other. I think one should always keep the goal/cause/vision in mind, and not compromise too much of it. The cause is a designed purpose that directs our attention, energies and actions towards helping people and attaining a collective sense of achievement.

I thank my supporters of my charity for Ironman New Zealand. I believe I can do the race despite my accident last weekend. I am healing, and I look forward to some light activity over the next few days. It feels as if I tapered earlier. Thank you donors for already helping me raise an encouraging and generous amount – we can still with a little more to help kids with cystic fibrosis enjoy sports.

To our Chinese readers: Happy Lunar New Year! May your year be bountiful, splendid and memorable.

The World's Fittest Woman

Here is an interview of Chrissy Wellington, the current three-time, consecutive winner of the Kona Ironman World Champion. She is awesome, training six hours daily, seven days a week, for 11 months in a year. It also describes her approach to training, sense of purpose and fierce focus.

Too Much Too Soon, or Too Little Too Late?

A triathlete is preparing for Ironman Langkawi in Malaysia at the end of this month. He has invited triathletes to do swim-run brick with him. A brick is a set of two different sports done back-to-back; in this case, it is a 4km swim followed by a 30-40km run.

I was concerned when I replied. I had no issue with the 4-kilometre swim, as it is the least of our worries. However, to run a three-quarter to full marathon distance is somewhat extreme, and riskily close to the race. How do you expect your body to recover completely about a fortnight before a race?

Even if you are younger, you may still have to contend with mild soreness and the potential damage that comes with running such a long distance. Ironman involves a medley of 3.8km swim, 180km ride, and full marathon after that. 226km is a long distance, whichever way you travel and its toll on the body is substantial.

It is hard to cramp fitness into a short period of time, the way we used to mug for examinations. The musculoskeletal system undergoes damage, and needs to rest and recuperate so as to become stronger and fitter. This physiological process is called Adaptation. If what doesn’t kill makes you stronger – that is adaptation. However, patience is a virtue that you have to exercise, as it is essential for getting fit at a progressive rate. You put in too much too soon, and your body may not withstand the stresses of physical training. The soreness you experience after a long run, swim or ride is evidence of actual muscle damage caused by the prolonged distance and duration.

Enthusiasm and ignorance will not get you pass the finish line easily. Ignorance is not bliss. If you do the crime, you have to do the time. If your body is unaccustomed to performing for 10-16 hours continuously, you may experience the debilitating effects of cramps, muscular fatigue and nausea. It can be a humbling, long walk to the finish.

It is a tough call, yet do you need to take the risk?

For armchair, film critics (like me) 10 Oscar-worthy Scenes Listverse Has Not Covered.

Doing What Has To Be Done

Today, I facilitated a class for about 30 teachers. Despite a persistent headache and the stinging of several healing wounds, I had a co-facilitator with me. The partnership worked well, and I learnt from the questions raised during the session.

Why is it during personal adversity, that we shift focus on things around us? Why does adversity seem like a relief after it is over? There appears to be less clarity for us while we are in the midst of the crisis than when it is over. Perhaps, the reason why we experience different foci is because we turn on our insight, hindsight and foresight? This is an internal process that appears mostly unconsciously; it just switches on. When I was out for about eight minutes, I may have reset my brain for I am experiencing new emotions and insights. The proverbial knock on the head may have knocked some sense into me – being uncommon sense.

One thing I observed today that was, when we have an argument we may be agreeing on the same thing. However, our passionate expressions may mask how we may be interpreting the argument in a different way. The challenge is when a person is strongly literal and structured in their work orientation, and another is more abstract and intuitive. Forms are part of a system, measurement is another, and there is a human element where we talk through things. Workplace performance is measured in different ways, focused on tangibles and intangibles, and is based on our personal/professional interest and choice to assist a staff fully and thoroughly.

If I had passed on this teaching opportunity today, I may not have enjoyed such sights and sense. I am glad I did it, instead of shying away from it. As one of the managers of the Pike Place Fish Company in Seattle said on the video of FISH! ‘You are here…now do what you have to do!’