The only real measure of skill is time
Rashi Goel
Marketing strategies and self-mastery tips you won't find in B-schools. Ex-leader at Amazon, Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever, L'Oréal. Voted by ET as Best Marketing Leader in India I Top 50 Influential APAC Marketers
Skill comes to our rescue when our luck turns
Luck plays truant with us.
And so when luck is not on our side, we fail in spite of our skill, even after putting in a lot of hard work.
On the other hand, sometimes we succeed even with very little effort and low skill levels because Lady Luck has blessed us.
That's why, the only real measure of skill is time.
The launch of the first-ever book on running tells this story well.
Jim Fixx was the OG of running
Jim Fixx had made running an integral part of his life in the late 1960s.
Much before the average American even knew what running was all about.
Fixx kept detailed journals on what he ate, how much he weighed, how far and how fast he ran, and the impact weather and terrain had on his running pace.
In his quest to become a better runner, he also experimented with himself constantly. So he felt confident that he knew enough to write a book on running.
His aspiration was to write nothing less than The Complete Book on Running .
The book was intended to be "Running 101". It had detailed advice on how to start running, diet, and pacing, and even made the brave claim that regular running can prolong life span.
After multiple publishers had rejected him, Random House finally agreed.
That's when Luck played a game of Snakes and Ladders with Jim Fixx's book.
Lucky timing: running became 'fashionable' at the time of the book launch
In the 1970s, exercising was not yet part of the culture.
But a series of small events led to the bubbling up of a small running movement. In 1972, an American won the marathon at the Munich Olympics. Women were allowed entry into marathons for the first time ever.
By 1977, the bubble had become a stream.
For the 1977 New York City Marathon, organizers were expecting 2,200 runners (the same as the previous year). But more than double turned up.
As luck would have it, James Fixx’s book was released on the same day as the NY marathon.
Powered by this new trend of running, the book became an overnight bestseller.
Fixx became famous. And rich.
By late 1978, half a million books were sold and 100,000 Americans had finished a marathon.
There is no doubt that Fixx was a skilled runner and a skilled writer (he was a career editor). But to confirm that his skill led to success, we need to see if the book would continue to sell even when running was not ‘in vogue’.
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That happened just a few years later - in 1979.
Unlucky timing: Jimmy Carter's accident and 'running is worse than heroine'
President Jimmy Carter was also one of the Americans who took up running.
He wanted to build his image as a fit and youthful president, so he entered a 10-kilometre Run in 1979.
But he started collapsing during the run. Photographs of him ‘almost dying because of running’ started circulating. In reality, Carter recovered, never got into an ambulance, and also attended the awards ceremony just an hour later.
But the damage was done.
TV channels started holding panel discussions on the pros and cons of running and started criticising Jim Fixx.
Medical professionals and experts turned against running. Doctors published papers, wrote books, and even went on TV to say that “running was worse than heroin”.
Despite this, Fixx’s book continued to sell and Americans kept running.
Real skill continues to give success even after a looong time
Fixx's stardom continue to rise and he was even signed up by American Express as an endorser in 1979 itself.
See the Amercian Express ad featuring Jimm Fixx here.
In fact, Fixx’s book is selling to this day. For upwards of $60.
Jim Fixx wrote a second book , which also continues to sell, that too for more than double the price of the first one.
Nothing shouts success more than the ability and willingness of the marketplace to buy a product.
For the publisher, at one time, it was the highest-selling non-fiction book.
One could conclude with reasonable confidence that while luck played a part at the time of the book launch, ultimately skill played a bigger role in getting success for Fixx and his books.
Jim Fixx continues to be celebrated as the person, who brought running into the homes of millions of Americans.
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Marketing & GTM - Ola Electric | Ex Amazon | Ex ITC | IIM
1 年IMO, along with timing; the effort he had already put in his passion for running helped when he wrote the book. So, its awesome skill along with NY run book timing that did it. Inspiring post for a runner. Thanks for sharing Rashi Goel