What are the lessons we can learn from competing in one of the most popular – and gruelling – annual sporting events in the world? How can we apply that to our day-to-day lives?
Firstly, preparation is everything.
Hard as it might be to believe looking at runners as they grimace round the 26.2-mile course, 98 per cent of the work it takes to complete a marathon comes in the months leading up to the big day.
Those rainy winter mornings, when body and spirit strongly advise staying in bed, it is vital to get out onto the pavements and put in those base miles. To be ready for the main event.
The same is true of the world of work. Whether it’s meeting a potential client for the first time, conducting a discussion with a journalist, composing a thought leadership piece or any of the other myriad tasks we undertake each day – preparation is everything.
When we understand the needs of our clients, dive deeper to develop expertise in a specific field or anticipate the questions of an interviewer, we are better equipped to show the best of ourselves.