I am not the world's greatest athlete. I never have been. And I probably never will be.
I do enjoy running. But I am a mid-to-back-of-the-pack runner.
Despite this, I have completed two ultramarathons.
I know there are some people who look down on those of us at the back of the pack. But I am immensely proud just to have completed those and other events.
But, this article isn't about what I achieved. It's about how I achieved it.
In short: I trusted in the process.
When I signed up to run my first ultramarathon I had no experience and very little idea of what I was getting into. Up until very recently before that point, I'd not believed it was something I was capable of doing. All I really had was the reassurance from someone I knew who had done it before. And all he had really told me was that I would be able to do it if I put my mind to it.
So, I sourced a training programme from what I hoped was a reliable source and followed it as closely as I could. I figured that if I could complete the training, I could complete the race.
It worked. I was stone-cold last, but I completed the distance. (Technically, I was 9 seconds over the cut-off time, and so did not qualify. But, I had completed the distance. And that was good enough for me. See: NDW50 2015 Race Report.)
When I signed up for my second ultramarathon, I resolved to follow the same process. After all, it had worked before. And this time I was older and wiser.
But, I had also learned that I had some specific weaknesses. I didn't think that a generic plan would be enough. So I engaged some trainers to help me with them.
As with the plan, I trusted in the trainers. I did everything they told me to do. Of course, we talked things through and problem-solved together. But I trusted that they were the experts I had chosen. I did whatever they told me to do as diligently as I could. They pushed me to my limits, but not beyond.
The second time around, I was not stone-cold last. I was 212th out of a field of 234 finishers and another 17 who failed to complete the race. In the world of endurance running, it was an unremarkable performance. But I could not have been more proud of what I'd achieved. (See NDW50 2018 Race Report.)
And all because I chose to trust in the process and in the experts.
It's the same with business strategy.
There are a number of tried and tested, and for the most part relatively simple, tools, techniques and processes for developing and executing business strategy.
If you use them diligently and consistently, they will produce results. Of course, like an elite athlete, you can push the boundaries and tweak the standard methods to suit your specific needs. But only once you've mastered the basics.
Equally, if you need help in choosing, using and/or tweaking them, there are experts to hand. You just need to choose someone with a track record of having delivered results.
And then you have to trust the process.
If you need help with your business strategy, and if you're ready to trust in the process, then contact me to find out how I could help you to achieve your potential.
See also:
Image by Csaba Nagy from Pixabay
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