Make a Splash
Today's tough business conditions can easily make you feel like you're
swimming against the tide. Worse still, if you try to compete with the
big guys on price or resources, then you're swimming with the sharks.
But the paradox is, that you cannot be content to swim ‘between the
flags' either, like everyone else.
So I need to put on my Speedo's and goggles to explain what I mean, as I share a recreational goal that's been a tad challenging.
Most mornings at 6.30am you'll find me swimming the beach at Mooloolaba on Queensland's beautiful Sunshine Coast. There's something about an early morning swim in the ocean that I find especially stimulating and while the unpredictability of the wind, tide and currents can be challenging, it's such an exhilarating way to start the day. And what's equally stimulating is the reliance on your fitness, and having the experience to remain calm to deal with the conditions and stay focused on the finishing line. It's that same ‘out on a limb' experience I feel when I walk onto the conference stage.
But like all worthwhile experiences, they are incomplete without people to share them with. I swim with a committed group of people called the ‘Mooloolaba Beach Bums', who all share a love of fitness and the enjoyment of completing a one-kilometer swim across the bay, regardless of the season.
When I first started swimming with the group I was terrified. I'd never been so out my depth before, and although I love the water, I wasn't a strong swimmer. So after being thrashed a few times by the big surf, (and particularly after my caravan accident), I began to think that this could be number two on my ‘bucket list'!
But I find it harder than most to accept defeat, and with a little help from my friends my confidence slowly returned, although fear was ever present. Fear however, is a condition of the mind. If the mind can stimulate unfounded fear, it also has the capacity for you believe that anything is possible. So with a switch of mindset, I eventually became one of the ‘beach bum' regulars.
I also discovered that swimming in the ocean is a lot different than following the black line at the bottom of the local pool. Changing tide and wind conditions make every day a different challenge, and because my head is down and low in the water, it can be difficult to see my colleagues when it's a running tide with a ‘choppy' swell. (Or for the purpose of this analogy, watch ‘the competition.')
I knew I had to get real serious about my technique if I was going to keep up. I noticed that my colleagues had their own way of dealing with these conditions, and the old adage ‘different strokes for different folks', is right on the money. Those that can't adapt to changing conditions eventually drop off - or drown!
At first I churned the water like an eggbeater, using so much energy thrashing by arms and legs about, that I struggled with the distance. Then one morning I noticed that the fastest swimmers in the group took the fewest strokes and seemed to effortlessly glide through the water. Faced with a sink or swim scenario, the obvious thing to do was to get some assistance, so one of my teammates gave me a book on ‘technique'. To be honest, it's not easy to read page 35 to find out what comes next, when you're out beyond the third breaker with a north easterly in your gob! But with perseverance, I discovered that my body rhythm was more important than what I did with my arms and legs, and once I developed a comfortable technique, I found I was swimming faster and further with less effort.
There's an obvious similarity between the principles we use to achieve recreational and business goals, because the strategies for success used in one area of your life can be applied to other endeavours. Here's how it works.
Risk is a calculated necessity for business growth, but if you're going to go out of your depth, then precautions are required. Firstly, you need to keep your head above water by ensuring that your business is financially fit and is adaptable to changing commercial conditions, while keeping a watchful eye on the competition. Companies that don't understand this will eventually sink.
It's so easy to burn energy in the wrong places. This not only is a waste of resources, and capital, but results in a poor return on investment. The development of skills and techniques (continually analising what's working and what's not) will not only drive a more efficient and differentiating performance, but will maintain your competitive edge and get you to where you're going, faster and with much less effort and cost. Interestingly, technique is not an asset that carries a staggering price tag. You just have to continually work at it.
A long time ago I chose not to ‘swim between the flags' of life. This decision provided individuality, freedom, personal satisfaction and mostly, the confidence to take the bull by the horns and ‘make a splash.' However there was always a lifeguard on duty.... common sense!
So after my morning 'splash' I join my mates for a rewarding cappuccino. It's just common sense when you think about it - 'the best things in life really are free!'
So I need to put on my Speedo's and goggles to explain what I mean, as I share a recreational goal that's been a tad challenging.
Most mornings at 6.30am you'll find me swimming the beach at Mooloolaba on Queensland's beautiful Sunshine Coast. There's something about an early morning swim in the ocean that I find especially stimulating and while the unpredictability of the wind, tide and currents can be challenging, it's such an exhilarating way to start the day. And what's equally stimulating is the reliance on your fitness, and having the experience to remain calm to deal with the conditions and stay focused on the finishing line. It's that same ‘out on a limb' experience I feel when I walk onto the conference stage.
But like all worthwhile experiences, they are incomplete without people to share them with. I swim with a committed group of people called the ‘Mooloolaba Beach Bums', who all share a love of fitness and the enjoyment of completing a one-kilometer swim across the bay, regardless of the season.
When I first started swimming with the group I was terrified. I'd never been so out my depth before, and although I love the water, I wasn't a strong swimmer. So after being thrashed a few times by the big surf, (and particularly after my caravan accident), I began to think that this could be number two on my ‘bucket list'!
But I find it harder than most to accept defeat, and with a little help from my friends my confidence slowly returned, although fear was ever present. Fear however, is a condition of the mind. If the mind can stimulate unfounded fear, it also has the capacity for you believe that anything is possible. So with a switch of mindset, I eventually became one of the ‘beach bum' regulars.
I also discovered that swimming in the ocean is a lot different than following the black line at the bottom of the local pool. Changing tide and wind conditions make every day a different challenge, and because my head is down and low in the water, it can be difficult to see my colleagues when it's a running tide with a ‘choppy' swell. (Or for the purpose of this analogy, watch ‘the competition.')
I knew I had to get real serious about my technique if I was going to keep up. I noticed that my colleagues had their own way of dealing with these conditions, and the old adage ‘different strokes for different folks', is right on the money. Those that can't adapt to changing conditions eventually drop off - or drown!
At first I churned the water like an eggbeater, using so much energy thrashing by arms and legs about, that I struggled with the distance. Then one morning I noticed that the fastest swimmers in the group took the fewest strokes and seemed to effortlessly glide through the water. Faced with a sink or swim scenario, the obvious thing to do was to get some assistance, so one of my teammates gave me a book on ‘technique'. To be honest, it's not easy to read page 35 to find out what comes next, when you're out beyond the third breaker with a north easterly in your gob! But with perseverance, I discovered that my body rhythm was more important than what I did with my arms and legs, and once I developed a comfortable technique, I found I was swimming faster and further with less effort.
There's an obvious similarity between the principles we use to achieve recreational and business goals, because the strategies for success used in one area of your life can be applied to other endeavours. Here's how it works.
Risk is a calculated necessity for business growth, but if you're going to go out of your depth, then precautions are required. Firstly, you need to keep your head above water by ensuring that your business is financially fit and is adaptable to changing commercial conditions, while keeping a watchful eye on the competition. Companies that don't understand this will eventually sink.
It's so easy to burn energy in the wrong places. This not only is a waste of resources, and capital, but results in a poor return on investment. The development of skills and techniques (continually analising what's working and what's not) will not only drive a more efficient and differentiating performance, but will maintain your competitive edge and get you to where you're going, faster and with much less effort and cost. Interestingly, technique is not an asset that carries a staggering price tag. You just have to continually work at it.
A long time ago I chose not to ‘swim between the flags' of life. This decision provided individuality, freedom, personal satisfaction and mostly, the confidence to take the bull by the horns and ‘make a splash.' However there was always a lifeguard on duty.... common sense!
So after my morning 'splash' I join my mates for a rewarding cappuccino. It's just common sense when you think about it - 'the best things in life really are free!'
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