PB or Not PB? That is the Question

Last Saturday, with two colleagues, I took part in my first ever 5k running race.  I restarted my running ‘journey’ in January and, with the help of two gurus Charlotte Bonney CGMA ACMA and Ian Wimpenny , I have surprised myself by actually enjoying a couple of 5ks a week for the last month or so.  Gradually improving my PB.

My running buddies last weekend are a little earlier in their ‘journey’ and Saturday was their chance to hit that goal of 5k without stopping.  Katie Kelly had managed 3k with me a couple of weeks ago but then been hit with a chest infection and Gemma Hembrow had managed some walk/run 5ks.

So, we decided to tackle the race as a team to achieve that non-stop 5k goal. As ever, I found some cross-over learnings for all of us in business, and as people managers.

1.      Running TOGETHER is much more fun than running alone.

Sharing a goal makes something that is tough to do on your own so much easier!  We agreed our goal for the day together. There were several moments when, as we made our way round the course, it would have been easy to change our minds about what was important – but we didn’t!  In business we often forget to get everyone’s buy-in and involvement in goal setting.  As in the middle of our run, there’s a temptation to change the plan when things get tough.  As a leader, making sure the shared goal is realistic and working hard with your team to achieve it, is not only key to your success but can also be fun and rewarding.

2.      Focus on the team and break things down to make them manageable.

As I supported the team towards the finish line, I found myself focusing on each of them and what they needed in that moment – breathing to help with a stitch, encouragement for a hill etc.  I set little milestones for each section, and we celebrated reaching each of them before finding the next.  By doing this I found Saturday’s 5k easier than I had ever done before too! As people managers, it is easy to be distracted with worry about what we have to ‘get done’ and forget to notice what each member of the team needs.  When working in different places, this becomes harder still.  Have a think this week about what each of your team needs right now (ask them!) and how you can break things down into small milestones and celebrate success – all of this becomes possible if you are having great conversations with your team.

3.      Your Heart Work  

At the end of the run we were all on a high – everyone achieved the non-stop 5k goal and, along the way we picked up another team member who found my encouragement helped her too.  I am never going to be a marathon runner and will probably continue to find excuses for not running as much as I could (it WAS wet out there today!) but I know that bringing out the best in others is what I love and so maybe running with a team is where I can do my best work and keep fit! 

So, I am going to stop worrying about a ‘PB’ in terms of time and think about my ‘PB’ as the smiles on faces at the end of the run. What do you love doing?  Are you able to do that alongside other things that are more challenging in work? Share you work ‘PB’ below so we can all celebrate with you and if you want help to get more smiles and success for your team DM me.