Advice From A Spartan Race; Skills to Benefit Your Workplace

Recently a close friend and colleague of mine invited me to participate in a “Spartan Race” to celebrate a milestone birthday. I quickly accepted the invitation and then found out what I had signed up for. I was going to run a 10k race with 25 obstacles, as the website said, “a rugged course that will challenge you physically and mentally.” The preparation, participation and general experience provided me plenty to thinking about and learn from. I want to share some of my biggest takeaways and how they apply to business.

The Preparation

My preparation started with research. I needed to find out what was required of me.  We were going to complete as a team, but my individual preparation was an important component of our team effort. As I looked at the various obstacles we were going to face, I could see areas I needed to grow in. The spartan race has obstacles that required me to build up my arm strength. In the weeks preceding the race I added in hanging exercises, pull ups and worked on my endurance in those areas. I worked with a trainer in other areas too that I was going to need for this specific assignment.  Here is what I learned: Research is important to really understand the challenge. Equipped with good research, I was able to turn that into a protocol that would best prepare me for the challenge ahead. Strengthening my areas of weakness gave me and our team the best opportunity to succeed. This is a great method for business success. It can be tempting to simply focus on the race, or the outcome but never underestimate the power of preparation and the power of a process to improve your performance.

The Race

Race day arrived and I was prepared, but the truth is The Spartan race was far more difficult than I expected. Despite the challenge “physically and mentally” (just like the website said) one of the things that really made the difference for me was that we took on this challenge as a team. I felt a personal responsibility to not the let the team down. This mentality drew out my best performance and motivated me in the most challenging of times. The encouragement and support we gave each other made the difference in the toughest moments.  It reminds me of this scripture:

It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth.And if one falls down, the other helps,But if there’s no one to help, tough!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 MSG

I found that teamwork in business also proves to be an incredible tool and strategy for tackling challenges and problems. There is a benefit to the mentality and morale when everyone works together and there is also a benefit to the performance. The exponential performance of a team far exceeds the output of high performing individuals working on their own.

The Results

The sight of the finish line was like adrenaline, it gave me new energy and passion to finish. Our families were there cheering us on, it could have been a movie! Despite the fatigue, aches and pains, we crossed that line and accomplished our goal, we felt on top of the world. A few thoughts came to mind; you can do more than you think you can! Being part of a team is very rewarding. Accomplishing something that is difficult is tremendously beneficial for your mind, body and soul. I may not have been the fastest or the strongest, but we crossed that line.