Focus, Discipline...and some Metrics

This past couple of weeks have seen me recommit (again) to getting back into triathlon race shape.  In consideration of a very different lifestyle from 5 years ago - 2 more kids, building a business, completing an MBA - my wife and I hadn't done any significant racing or training since January of 2013.  There was an aborted attempt last year to reengage our bodies and souls but timing, motivation and other reasoned excuses got in the way. This time appears to be shaping up differently so far - losing 2 pounds per week for the last three weeks and the weigh scale is starting to make me smile (rather than grimace).

I started to wonder what has allowed me to enjoy a better level of success than the preceding couple of years.  At the same time, I started to hear some parallel experiences in my coaching practice.  I'd been hearing a lot about recommitting to professional and business goals.  A variety of circumstances that caused executives to look back on the year that was and wonder how they had missed on key objectives.  Or perhaps recognizing that they hadn't really been focused at all.  Sometimes this equated to having less than expected performance while in other cases it meant staying the course on a path that clearly wasn't yielding satisfactory results - neither from a revenue nor a personal satisfaction standpoint.  In all cases, mine included, the common theme seemed to come back to regaining focus and then having the discipline to carry forward with a plan.

This line of thinking also brought me back to Jim Collins' thoughts in "Good to Great" and in particular the concept of disciplined people, disciplined thought and disciplined action.  Based on an understanding and extrapolation of his work and my own recent fitness experience I started to wonder how that could inform other types of situations with a view to helping overcome misses.

It became clear to me that a number of factors start to make a difference in success when considering business, professional or personal endeavors.  Each by themselves is insufficient to have success or certainly impact and sustained success.  Success may not be guaranteed when putting it all together but I certainly believe we can give ourselves a fighting chance by integrating all of the following efforts.

First, set a meaningful and achievable long-term goal to shoot for.  In other words create a tangible vision of the desired state of affairs.  For some this may equate to a certain profit margin, sales target, expanded market share, or perhaps all of that.  One of the key variables is to make sure that the vision is grounded in some sort of reality.  Relating back to my personal athletic goal, I've signed up for a half-Ironman set for July of this year and targeted a finish time below 6.5 hours.  To put some further specificity to that goal - and also make it more feasible - I've set a goal of losing 20 pounds prior to that race.  These goals are grounded in my own past historical reality of having completed past triathlons and of being below my currently targeted weight before.

Specific, achievable, realistic and measurable targets to work towards. 

Second, while a visionary goal is laudable it is not enough and didn't prove to be enough to ensure success when I set a similar goal last year.  So this year I've added more structure and a partnership to the process.  Much like the rest of my business life I've been scheduling my workout commitments into my daily calendar - swims scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings; bikes and runs scheduled on alternate days.  My wife has also been enlisted in the effort and I now have a partner to help us support each other in getting our workouts in.  With three kids this means fewer joint workouts but we are getting things done.  So in relation to work and professional endeavors consider how a partner - executive coach, mastermind group, your executive assistant - might help you keep focused on your goals.  Also schedule time for yourself to review your effort, commitment and results on a regular basis.

Structure and partnerships.

Third, technology and other tools can sometimes be useful to your cause.  Often times in my coaching practice I'm working with my clients to help them use what is already at hand for them.  Using a calendaring function on your personal electronic device to set milestones and check in points for yourself.  Use your whiteboard if you are more old school.  Whatever is going to help you stay on track make use of those tools.  In my current fitness and athletic endeavor my new Fitbit has become an extraordinarily useful tool.  I love seeing my progress (or lack thereof) and the ability to track my steps, calories consumed and burned, and weight loss on a daily (or even hourly) basis has had a tremendous impact on my daily behaviors.  I am now taking time out of my day to get in a 20-30 minute walk.  I hold back on that next piece of food if I'm concerned about the caloric goal I've set.  I'm more motivated to get in that workout at the end of the day.  The metrics and the feedback being given to me through the Fitbit is changing my behavior.  And it's stoking my competitive ego - with myself and in relation to my wife's performance!

Metrics and feedback.

To date these factors seem to have become a rediscovered recipe for getting back into shape and being prepared to put myself through 6+ hours of racing in July.  I see these same factors as having relevance to how we can successfully recommit to our professional and business goals.  There are likely other factors that could be added to this brief list within the context of "Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought, Disciplined Action" and I'd like to hear how you are or intend to achieve your goals in 2016.

Take on your leadership challenge and make it a success.

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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.