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 fourth of these lessons is discussed here.
As I mentioned earlier, this was the first long race that I had ever attempted to run. In preparation for the run I had asked a number of people what to expect and how best to prepare. The single most repeated advice that I received from others was that there are two tough parts of the race, the start and the finish. For a marathon that means the first five miles and the last five miles.
The start had two issues for me to contend with. First, was the actual start itself, jockeying for open space when over four thousand runners were beginning at the same time. Since I was not one of the faster runners, I started in the middle of the pack. There was very little room to maneuver. This made the second area more difficult than it should have been. This second issue was finding the right pace. It is very important to find your pace early in a race this long. For me this was a process that took several miles until I was running comfortably and relaxed.
This left the other tough part of the race: the finish. Many of you have heard of "hitting the wall" in a race of this length. I had the unfortunate experience of doing exactly that with about four miles remaining in the 26.2 mile journey. It was an unbelievable event. I went from running well, feeling no pain and experiencing no problems, to viewing myself from about six feet above my head, watching this guy (me) swerve from one side of the road to the other. My first thought was, "that guy is in trouble". Then I realized "that guy" was me! It took me over an hour and fifteen minutes to "run" the last four miles. I could have walked faster than I ran! The good news is that I did finish the race, but it was a struggle.
Most organizations struggle with these same two issues concerning their goals. Many people can identify what needs to be done. The problem comes in the prioritization and execution phases. Too many companies get bogged down in the day-to-day issues and have difficulty beginning the actions that will truly move their organization forward.
For those that do start, the finish becomes the challenge. Distractions are plentiful in business. It takes discipline and focus to complete the actions that will allow you to reach your goals. The results are worth it if you can make yourself continue until you have crossed over that finish line!