You can't change the wind, but you can beat it!
Anything worth doing comes riddled with challenges. Whether leading a team in business or running a marathon, you will encounter obstacles, some bigger than others. How you evaluate these challenges and react to the obstacles will determine your short term project success and long term career happiness.
When running a marathon and the wind gets really bad, it’s hard not to expend unnecessary energy, take bigger strides or fold forward at the waist to challenge the wind. An uncontrollable force slowing progress is incredibly frustrating and can put you in a negative headspace perpetuating bad decisions. It is important not to overcorrect to the wind, instead keeping your form no matter how annoying the element becomes. With this said, wind and other weather conditions offer varying degrees of danger. 10–25 MPH wind may slow you down but rarely causes bodily harm. 50 MPH+ wind, hurricanes or tornadoes have the capacity to destroy everything in their path. When determining how you approach the conditions, consider the strength of the opposing force and power to influence your path independent of your actions.
At one point earlier in my career I had a team member who was opposed to everything I pushed forward. It didn’t matter if I said the sky was blue or the earth was round?—?if it came out of my mouth he would argue the validity of the statement, source of data and application of the information. In addition, he rarely included any trace of a valid point supporting his opposition. He simply wanted to argue instead of developing to a solution. He was an annoying and persistent headwind possessing only the strength of a distraction to take the organization off our path as we drove forward. At times, his arguments were so irrational that the rest of the team members would leave a meeting scratching our heads wondering if this dissenter actually had any objective beyond disagreement.
This same feeling hit me during the 2015 Las Vegas Marathon where the wind definitely played a part in my overall race experience. The race was an out and back race starting at 5:00 PM on a chilly day in mid November. The entrants showed up for one of three race distances: 10K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon. Based on the time of start and time of year meant it would be run in the dark through the no-mans-land of the street-light challenged outskirts of Vegas. Only around 2,000 of the 20,000+ runners participated in the Full Marathon meaning the back half was extremely desolate. To add to the challenge, the second half of the race was greeted by 20–60 MPH headwinds. Coupled with the dry air, the final two hours of my four hour, 44,500 step effort had some very dark moments.
My early race plan was to run with the 9-min/mile pace group which was a great plan through 16 miles until I had to take a quick bio-break. Apparently I had over hydrated prior to the race and the additional liquid required to push through the dry vegas air required a pitstop. During marathons I normally drink a half cup of water at every other aid station but these conditions required a half cup at every aid station. After a 20 second stop, I was back on the course but it became much, much harder. Without the protection of the 15 person 9 min/mile pacing pack, I would be fighting the gusts on my own. As the miles added up, frustration grew as effort far exceeded pace. I cursed the wind and hit a wall harder than in any other training session or race. My Garmin Fenix watch continued to tally the minutes but with greater fervor than I was accustomed. The watch and the wind were clearly in cahoots to defeat me! As I passed unattended aid station tables standing guard above fields of unused cups strewn across the concrete landscape it was clear that the wind was capable of causing greater damage than simply influencing the expenditure of my energy. Fluids would be a rare commodity for the rest of the race and I would have to plan around that challenge.
Miles 20, 21 and 22 are normally the most difficult in such a race and this was exacerbated by the conditions and an existing injury flaring up. My IT band had tightened to a level I hadn’t previously experienced. I was over-striding and putting too much weight over my feet instead of staying balanced. As a result my hips were out of alignment and my knee was taking the brunt of the abuse. I had gone ten rounds with the wind and was being beaten with two rounds remaining. That’s when I recognized a few things. First: nobody forced me to sign up for that race?—?I was doing it on my own volition. Second: nobody would really care if I finished or dropped out but to finish would only take another forty minutes of discomfort… to drop out would be a failure I would carry for the rest of my life. Yes, I would be out of the direct path of this wind but I would be the one carrying the longterm consequence.
Recalculating risks at this point was important. I had to ask myself: what type of long term, unavoidable impact or injury can be caused by the conditions. Was I comfortable sustaining the identified injuries upon continuing versus the alternative of quitting? Once you have answered this question you have to decide on some short term strategy shifts.
Immediate evaluation: What fundamentals are you disregarding due to the conditions? My stride, body angle and breathing were the afflicted areas. Also, I was grimacing instead of smiling which for some strange reason makes it much harder to run and enjoy running.
What type of short term challenges are avoidable? Working aid stations were a rare commodity due to the terrible wind. As a result, I would have to take greater advantage of limited stocked stations to stay hydrated. I would drink three to four small cups of water every chance I had. Instead of running through aid stations as I normally would do, I’d stop for a few seconds, drink fluids and take an electrolyte pill to accelerate the value of the liquids.
My next opportunity was to neutralize the wind even if it had a short term negative impact. I slowed down to find a pack of runners who could provide wind blocking. The thought of slowing down when my watch continued to mock my efforts may seem counterintuitive but it was a choice between slowing down now to finish strong or continue expending energy and slowing to a walk later when I bonked. Within a few minutes the 9:30 pace group came up behind me and I tucked in nicely behind some of their bigger runners.
I finished at 4:14?—?ten minutes slower than the previous month’s marathon but a much more satisfying outcome than a DNF (Did not finish) on my record.
My biggest takeaways from this race that I could apply to the business are: Assess the situation and determine the true danger of the wind. Understand what is in my control that I have changed due to this wind. Alter my actions to address technique, health, behavior and mindset. Finally, neutralize the threat even if it requires a small step backward to create a sustainable winning strategy in the end.
Wind isn’t smart. Wind doesn’t use logic and wind is incapable of reasoning. Don’t let a petty wind come between you and your team’s opportunity to succeed in the long run!