Endurance in a corporate world
Nick Hollis
Nick Hollis, who recently conquered a 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic, is a man who understands endurance. Not only has he navigated the World’s Toughest Row he’s completed the Seven Summits and the South Pole too. Nick was one of our first speakers at Flock and shared the lessons and techniques he’s discovered from his expeditions.
“It may come as a surprise but my time in the corporate world was harder on me physically and mentally than my life today as an endurance athlete. There’s a reason for that: on big expeditions we tend to get time to rest and recover – but business is different. It’s common to see people working beyond their limits for extended periods of time and that’s not conducive to high performance and it’s also not conducive to long-term health.”
Here Nick shares how endurance is not simply about pushing as hard as you can at all costs and then forgetting the consequences, while also giving an insight into the elements required to build a long game strategy.
Build a strategy
Cleary defined goals
Working towards a long-term goal (business or endurance event) means being resolute in the commitment to achieving that goal.
The more dedicated, the more resilience a person displays. If you aren’t committed from the outset, you are likely to fall off achieving the goal.
Consider and understand what may be holding you back and aim to drive your personal efficiencies. When working out what your limits are – appreciate what your sweet spots are. It’s important to learn and understand your limits and remember that these change and can be built upon as you progress on your personal journey.
Personal wellbeing
Whether it’s a commercial or sporting scenario, nothing is linear meaning there are both high intensity periods as well as down time
It’s important to rest and recover as this plays an equally important part in building endurance and mental and personal strength - lack of recovery is one of the biggest challenges facing business today.
As we push our bodies and boundaries the voice inside your head gets louder and more persistent to stop doing the task. Keeping moving forward, step by step towards your goal, is the embodiment of endurance.
The limits on an endurance event are generally mental and not physical. 90% of our thoughts are negative and in periods of stress and strain it increases. Address and visualise the difficult periods – when things then get tough, replace the negative thoughts with positives and visualisations of what success will look like.
Teamwork
Remember there are different levels within the team and each person will have a different strength. Draw on these assets and assign leadership to the best person to help achieve the task, not based on authority or age.
World class leaders operate without ego and any praise is passed down to everyone in the organisation to create a culture of trust. When we feel safe – we perform at our best.
Planning
Endurance is not a case of suffering – instead, focus on efficiency and choose to work smarter, not harder.
It’s important to look ahead and identify where the strain and load will be most and build periods of recovery either side of them to maximise personal and team performances.
Tools for the right task
Have the right equipment for optimum performance.
Taking the first step
People procrastinate as they are frightened of failing and as a consequence they may never start.