Building for the long term and growing generals

This time a year ago I had never missed an Ultra X event. The idea of not getting up at the crack of dawn to ensure the start was set up properly, being on hand to put out fires, or at the finish line dishing out hugs and medals when it was race weekend would have seemed crazy.

However, here I am. As I write, I'm sitting at home whilst the rest of the team is in the Azores for our third race of 2022. Honestly, it’s not easy. Part of me feels that by not being present for my baby I’m not truly living my purpose, and another guilty spending the night in my own bed when the rest of the crew will be sleeping like sardines in our 8-man Colman tents.

There is a good reason behind this though. There is a time when all babies grow up, and regardless of how controlling and how emotionally invested parents are (and I am very), it's in everyone’s long-term best interest to step back. Here's why in my view:

1) Energy management for the long term

Ultra X has 12 races this year (several of these require 8+ days on location). Once combined with various trade shows, run clubs, and collaborations it ends up being a huge time commitment. Whilst I want to be present at everything that is or relates to Ultra X I am increasingly conscious of the need to manage my own energy as well as the teams. To use a running analogy, I don’t want to hobble over a finish line having given absolutely everything at one race to the detriment of the next one. Success is a long-term game that requires consistency and consistency requires rest. This is why I’m not in the Azores as I write, and this is why there will always be a member of our team back home during event week even though we know that that person could bring something unique and valuable to that event.

2)?Building a sustainable organisation

In the few years since Ultra X was founded the “on the ground” management has changed massively. In the early days it was the other Co-Founder Jamie and I directing everything. We led the medical team and therapists, we managed the volunteers and handled timing, and we also did all communications and content! At Ultra X England 2020 I think I actually ran over the 125km race distance over three days of marking, remarking, and demarking whilst trying to manage the event!

Things thankfully are slightly different now. Events have a lead medic, lead therapist, and a specific race director who handles most of the logistics far better than Jamie or I were ever capable of.

As well as being far less stressful and far more efficient the aim is to create an organisation that runs itself. A big challenge with any business going from “start up” to “scale up” is ensuring that it can continue without it's founder(s). Like so many young entrepreneurs I’ve invested pretty much everything over the last few years in the business and whilst I am not going anywhere, I am very conscious that Jamie and I need to get away from being the ‘go to’ person for everything.?Whilst the obsession and drive are great at the outset, I'm all too aware that as we grow this can become a limiting factor and so I need to let go.

3) Growing generals and not just officers

At the beginning there's no one better than a couple of co-founders to grow a business. No-one cares as much, no one has that level of obsession, and no one will ever understand the mission and the values in the same way.

However, there comes a point when the hours in the day will finally run out and when that time comes founders have to make a decision.

It's easy to get in some energetic grads to pick up the grunt work.

Our approach has been different. Our team is built for the future. The current employees of Ultra X I hope to be our Global Heads of Operations, Community, and Marketing respectively in 5 years. Instead of surrounding ourselves with people who will do as we ask, we are trying to build a team to take us to the next level and challenge us.

It's why every quarter we spend a day on People and Leadership Development and it's part of the reason I am not in the Azores. To grow leaders you need to give responsibility and give trust. It's all very well leading by example but that's really the easy part, to be a truly great leader you need to allow your team to grow and flourish, and I hope that small things like this will stack up as Ultra X moves forward.