What running a marathon taught me about leadership.

This article appears in the New Vision of Thursday 7th November, 2019. Page 24.

Someone on Twitter asked about my obsession with running and marathons. That was after I posted my recent conquest having completed the gruelling yet immensely satisfying 42.135 km Berlin Marathon. To put this into context, the distance between Kampala and Entebbe is 43.94 km. This is the 3rd Marathon I have completed in the past 4 years. I love running. I love Marathons especially. There is nothing like the Euphoric feeling of crossing that finish line, regardless of whether you came first or last.

I have found that even that which may seem tedious and mundane may contain valuable lessons. In a way, preparing for the Marathon has taught me a lot more about life and leadership, second only to the on job experience. Here are some few things preparing and running Marathons has taught me about Leadership

Preparation.

As with most worthwhile pursuits, consistency in discipline and commitment are a necessary prerequisite.

For me, preparing for a marathon always begins with understanding the course and my body’s limits.

This process usually takes four months. You need to look into your schedule and drop a few priorities to accommodate a regular running programme, pick the right running team, gym trainer, study the routes that you shall use to develop various running skills, that is, hill drills, sprints and long distance training, then get your body used to the distance and the weather conditions that might mirror the race day. A marathon in Nairobi is not the same as one in Berlin, and thus your preparation will have to be customized to fit the specific experience. The same principle, I believe, applies to leadership. Prepare in advance for the task you are going to undertake. As best you can, understand the different dynamics involved and the individuals or groups you will be working with. With all this squared away, have a clear finish line in mind and equip your mind and body accordingly for the demands of that endeavour.

Teamwork.

At the weekend, Eliud Kipchoge, a Kenyan national did something no other man has dared to do. He set out to and completed a 42km Marathon in under 2 hours. But, he did not do it alone. Behind him was a team of trainers, physicians and during the run itself, pace makers. It goes to show, that even grit and determination may not always be enough when undertaking a challenge. Sometimes, it takes two, three, four heads to get it right.

In leadership, many people believe they have all the answers and thus go at it alone, a notion I strongly disagree with. Leaders aren’t perfect and those that are successful at what they do understand the value of having people around to help guide them when the situation gets sticky, and the situation will get sticky. If you are lucky enough to have a group of people willing to work with you – sharing ideas, meting out constructive criticism and so forth, nurture that culture if you want to continually improve.

In a similar vein, cheering other people’s well-deserved accomplishments is a beautiful and mutually productive practice. Something as simple as clapping for a fellow runner can have the effect of giving you a much-needed infusion of energy in those tremendously tiring moments.

It is not uncommon for individuals in a professional environment to get stuck in cycles of competition and one-upmanship. As much as a healthy competition between individuals and teams is good for ingenuity, it shouldn’t be conducted at the expense of getting the job done.   

As a leader, I can testify to increased productivity as a result of cheering each other on, and I strive to foster this culture in whichever environment I am operating in.

Endurance starts in the mind.

You don’t know what your limits are until you’re faced with a finish line or a seemingly impossible goal to be accomplished. Almost every single marathoner can testify to the fact that sometimes your body simply won’t go on running - it’s a lot more common than you may think.

There’s a saying about how the first 20 km of a marathon are ran with your legs and the other 20 with your mind, and this, I believe, is the secret to enduring any course.

In the professional setting, crises can and do emerge and targets and deadlines can sometimes seem like Dante’s ninth circle. Hours will be spent poring over spreadsheets, moving from one place to the next, responding to emails and making phone calls, all while your body is screaming for a soft horizontal surface and a skilled masseuse.

At this point, it’s purely mind over matter.

Finishing marathons helps train your mind to refuse to give up until you have ploughed through to the finish line. You must become aware of your breathing and mindful of your pace all the while being conscious of your surroundings.

The equivalent in the workplace can mean making and sticking to a schedule, planning your movements and so on to stave off getting overwhelmed. Your mind plays a big role in motivating and getting you through that situation.

Celebrate Your Victories (Responsibly).

At the end of a marathon, your entire body is on fire but the feeling of having made it to the finish line is indescribable and begs some form of celebration, in my opinion. I like to have dinner with the team afterwards because it helps seal the bond after having been through such an experience.

In the workplace, it is important for leaders to do the same after a successfully completed assignment, quarter etc. This way, they interact with their teams in a less formal setting and re-energises them to bring even better energy when the next task comes along.

Sometimes, though, just the knowledge of having finished the marathon or understanding the greater impact of your professional efforts can be reward enough. So, I encourage you all to run a marathon occasionally. Not only is it healthy, but there is also a lot to be learned from it.

So, I encourage you all to run a marathon occasionally. Not only is it healthy, but there is a lot to be learned from it.