A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to run a marathon while visiting New Zealand. During the preparation for, and the running of this race, I learned a number of lessons that apply both to life and to work. The lessons I learned have to do with the ability to establish, put in place, and complete effective goals for my life. The third of these lessons is discussed here.

A marathon, by definition, is a long race. During mine, I approached an area of the course that was both unsuspected and deceiving. I had attempted to do my homework by driving over the course of the race by car the day before. There were a series of small hills in the first part of the course, but the rest seemed relatively flat. When I ran the race, however, I found the terrain to be different and much more difficult.

What I failed to realize the day before in the car was that there was a stretch from about mile 15 to mile 20 that was all uphill. It is true that the grade was not steep, but it was a constant uphill push for almost five miles. It was during this part of the race that I found my pace begin to slow, that my eyes began to focus downward, and I found my self becoming more and more discouraged with each step. It was here that the thought of quitting entered my mind.

I have found a similar tendency in business. Things may go well for a period of time, but there usually comes a time when progress is more difficult and more energy is needed for the same result. It is during these times that employees respond in a similar manner as I did during the race: their pace begins to slow, they do not look towards the future, and they begin to become discouraged, even to the point of quitting. As managers we must be on the lookout for these signs and work to change the situation.

For me during the race, I decided to increase my tempo instead of allowing my pace to slow down. This simple decision made all the difference in the world to me. Just by increasing my speed I found my head begin to rise and focus on the horizon again. I chose to look towards shorter-term goals in the race. Perhaps the next mile (actually kilometer) marker. Perhaps the next bend in the road. In one case, it was the next street which was only 40 yards away. With each new goal I increased my speed slightly. I knew that my tendency would be to slow down over the course of reaching that short-term goal.

That simple act changed my whole outlook. I became positive again. I gained a better perspective of my surroundings. I became more aware of the spectators cheering me on and began to believe in my capabilities once again. One simple action changed the focus, and the overall result. So when it gets tough:

* Set shorter-term goals

* Celebrate the short-term successes

* Personally encourage your people face-to-face for their efforts

Adversity will come. It is how we handle it that makes all the difference!