A career is a marathon not a sprint- Plan, Prepare and Execute it.

My lessons & parallels from marathon running…..

I want to start out by saying that a career which typically spans 30-35 years is something that you have the power of building and not one that just happens to you.

My biggest learnings of building and managing a career have come from one of my strongest passions- running marathons and long distances. At the outset, let me clarify that I am not a top league marathoner or competing to be one. But I have been on a journey last 8 years of self-improvement, setting and beating my own records and most importantly leveraging my strengths to become a better runner than I was in the last run.

So why do I say that there are several parallels to running a marathon and building a career:

1.????They are both not a competitive phenomenon (unless you are a professional marathoner who competes for prize money) …I am not one. A career is an individual’s own trajectory. Sometimes it takes years and possibly a lifetime spent on unhealthy competition, one’s insecurities and wasted potential for people to realise that.

2.????You can’t just start running marathons one fine day. I mean, people did attempt it but the consequences weren’t exactly encouraging. And so a career also just doesn’t get framed with one role or 1 stint.

3.????The marathon of 42.2 km or a HM of 21.1 km is best run with a pacing strategy for every km or every stretch of 2km.

Much on those lines, a career is built progressively with each role and stint adding unique exposures and competencies.

Therefore, just like with every progressive marathon, you start targeting to not just finish a marathon but also a timing within which to complete it and that’s where a pacing strategy comes into play when you decide how you will pace the first 5 km, the next 10 and the last 6 for a HM. Similarly, it's not enough to just have a vision to become a CEO, but clearly setting a path to it to identify the kind of roles you think will take you closer to your ambition. While the first 5 years for a typical MBA in a typical and conventional organisation would be on similar lines, it’s the conscious and informed choices and sometimes punts you take that could start to pave your trajectory.

4.????Novice athletes very often make the enthusiastic mistake of starting the race too fast hoping they will manage to continue the race at the pace, little do they realise that the zone 5 heart rate cannot be sustained throughout the duration and the lactic acid starts to build up fast. Therefore a vast majority of runners execute a negative splits strategy (which simply put is starting slow and progressively cutting seconds per km). Much on those lines, you cannot run a career marathon at a very fast pace throughout, it will likely cause a burn out or creative/ intellectual fatigue. Important to be conscious of pacing the career right especially in tandem with life stages like starting your marital life, starting a family or at some point looking after ageing parents. It's important that aside giving you the right professional highs, your stints allow for the elbow room to accommodate the needs in your personal life.

5.????If someone asked me to pick up the one trait that is most critical to cultivate to become a long-distance runner, it would be discipline and training or preparation. To follow a rigour and routine of sleeping early and waking up early 5-6 days a week is not exactly easy & fun to start with, but you soon start to enjoy it once you realise the way it's shaping you mentally, physically and emotionally. The rigour becomes a part of who you are. If we were to look at some of the most successful professionals even in a corporate arena, this trait of discipline always comes across as a common theme. Eg. traits like effective time management, punctuality, delivering to your commitment on tasks come with practice and are repute builders. These traits are best cultivated when one is young as the more you practice them, the more you benefit and the more they become part of your personality.

6.????When I started running, I was more of a casual runner and would go with the flow. However, after participating in a few races and gradually a few improvements and injuries alike, I realised the importance of training with a coach and a running group. There is little to delve into why a coach benefits you, but why a running group or a community? Well, I have personally benefitted immensely from the experiences of fellow runners and their advice. Like I said, a marathon is not about beating someone, it is about achieving your personal best. In pretty much the same way, the benefit of finding the mentors and coaches early on in your career is extremely beneficial. They can spot your strengths and derailers and give you valuable career advice and wisdom towards building a formidable career. Equally, do ensure you are part of professional groups and communities that can help you build diverse perspectives beyond the realm of your role and organisation.

7.????Much like training, nutrition is arguably the most important fuel for a runner. Getting the right blend of proteins, carbs , minerals and hydration regularly and during a race is way more important than most people know. Eating wrong for just a few days before a race can have far reaching consequences on the stamina and performance of even the most seasoned runners. Similarly, learning& development is that fuel in a career. Do ensure you are consciously investing in upskilling and fueling yourself adequately to always stay ahead of the curve. Very often people tend to become complacent towards their learning needs as they rise up the corporate hierarchy. There is always something you don’t know, so remember to hydrate and energise your mind with a constant dose of Vitamin K(knowledge).

8.????Finally, and most importantly, no two days and no two races are alike. The best of marathoners experience lows and highs, injuries and setbacks. What really differentiates a finisher vs the quitter is their ability to deal with these setbacks, dust themselves and infact pick up valuable lessons from their injuries and struggles to get back to the track with a new zeal and grit. On the same lines, it is almost impossible to not be faced with lows in one’s career whether that be a role you are not kicked about or a delayed promotion. The bittersweet lessons of a struggle will always teach you way more than the sugary successes. Ask the most revered professionals and legends about their most memorable lessons, and often those would have come out of the ashes of failures and struggles rather than the gleaming glaze of easily found success.