Go running they said, it’ll be fun they said…

Well yesterday I went out for a “quick run”, 14miles later I’d completed my first half marathon for best part of 2 years, achieved PBs at the Half, 20K, 10Mile and 15K distances, made some business and personal discoveries, reminded myself of our business values and fired a client.?

So a little back story for any that don’t know, back end of 2018 I snapped my leg, a spiral fracture on my fib and tib (have way cool photos if anyone wants to see), the surgeons laughed at me when I asked if I was still going to make the MK Marathon in the May of 2019 (yep I was that guy) anyway, fast forward 4 surgeries, covid and god knows what else and we are now in 2022 and I’m only just getting back to running Parkruns let alone anything longer. However after being inspired by the likes of Chris Cooke , Craig Hume , Phylip Morgan , Daniel Cronin , Peter Strahan and many others I decided Sunday was the day to stretch those legs a little further.

The discoveries

"Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance"

I started my run with the intention of doing 10 > 12km. It would be the first-time using gels in a couple of years and as any runner will tell you gels can be the best or worst thing for you, the wrong gel, or taken at the wrong time, and finding a hidden tree will be the least of your worries. So I took my gel at around 5/6km and all went well, apart from the fact I didn’t take any extras for me, so at around 13km I could feel my body needing something.?

Lesson learnt, plans can take a longer / different path, thinking ahead and preparing a few “what ifs” will make your journey a lot easier

"The goal is virtually never the end"

So my goal was to get around 10 > 12km as I said, well as I approached that I felt good, the weather was good, I had time so why not push on and change the goal.

Lesson learnt, Plans change, sometimes a little sometime a lot, how you feel will dictate how you approach your goals, if they change accept it move on.

"When you think you're wrong listen to your gut"

As I moved past my original goal, I was sure I knew where I was going, then suddenly, I realised I was on the “wrong path”, if you look at my track on Strava you’ll see an about turn and a back track.

I knew after less than 100yards that the path wasn’t right, but confirmation bias kicked in, I had managed to get this far surely this path couldn’t be that wrong. Truth is it wasn’t that wrong but was heading me towards a place I had no intention on ending up.?

Lesson Learnt, evaluate where you are, sometimes you’re on track sometimes you won’t be, if you fly you must learn to check often, make a positive correction when your off track, it gets you to your destination quicker and with less fuel.?

The Values

"Values are everything", I have a personal set of values that have got me into plenty of trouble as many including Andrea Henderson and Karla Fuller can attest too

CCS also have a set of company values which are Not About the Quick Fix, Eager to Learn & Eager to Teach, Going the Extra Mile, Do the Right thing, Good to work with (aka Don’t be a Dick)

Whilst I was out running, I was thinking about how we haven't been pushing them front and centre recently, they are core to our hiring process, our firing process, and our new client acquisition strategy.

But really, they’re only spoken about behind closed doors.

I was thinking about interactions with clients, friends, and colleagues over the last month, how both I and the team have exhibited these values and how positively that communication has been received. We should be shouting them from the rooftops otherwise how do others know what we stand for and why

Lesson Learnt, don’t be scared about what our values are people will respond to them, sometimes good, sometimes not but they will know who we are any why.

The Client

"You can’t care more about a client’s business then the owners do"

Whilst I was out and randomly thinking of things, a client popped into my head, over the last couple of months we have had to deal with a few issues with them, the biggest of which is to do with risk, who owns it and who is responsible for it etc..

During this period, we have tried unsuccessfully to show how their actions are leading to a significant risk on their business, and that it’s a matter of when not if they have an issue.?

What I have consistently done during this period is not looked at the risk to my business. No matter what I do, what documents the client signs, when the shit hits the fan (and it will) we will be blamed as the owners' values and culture are just too different than ours.?

My business could suffer reputational damage, monetary loss and even worse it will absolutely influence the team morale.

Action Taken, spoke to the client early this morning, let them know that we are happy to help them but don’t believe our cultures are aligned, have invited them to move on to another provider. I have followed this up in writing letting them know where the separation lies and why we have taken this approach.

The End

As I came to the end of the run, with a lack of gels my mind was starting to wander, I couldn’t for the life of me work out how far a half marathon was, was it 13.1, 13.4, I was even doing the maths 5k is 3.1 miles, 10k is 6.2, half is just over 20k isn’t it, so that would be 12.4, no that doesn’t sound right. The only thing I knew was that a marathon wasn’t 28 miles, and half of 28 was 14, so 14 became the new goal ??

Lesson Learnt, even when you're not sure what today's goal is, pick something that matters and that is the goal, for better or worse at least you know you achieved something that matters to you.

The legs are resting today, I'll try and get out for a short run this week, but one thing is for sure, I will be back out and I will go further and faster at some point than this effort. it will hurt, I will question what I'm doing and why, but if I've learnt anything it's that we are not put on this planet to stand still and wonder, but to see what we are capable of.