LIMITS

How often do you face something challenging in your life, whether it be an athletic endeavor or not, and before you even started you said, “I just can’t do this.” Before you even gave it a chance you have already placed a limit on what you can do. Let’s be clear, I am not talking about things that endanger our lives, or put ourselves at high risk. I am talking about things that present a challenge or an opportunity to grow and we shy away from them because we just think we don’t have the ability. Today’s message is going to be short and simple, but I hope it sticks with you. I would like you to say to yourself, “I have no limits, only things I haven’t done yet.” Then the next time you are faced with an obstacle, don’t let the challenge or perceived limit get in your way.

Now go out there and get it done. We are less than 16 days from the Bellin.

WHY ATHLETES ARE IMPORTANT TO COMPANIES

I read this article last October on Forbes.com and I immediately thought of the Corporate Challenge. I think that the article highlights some important qualities of Athletes that make them great employees. I will highlight the main points. If you want to read the whole article, click on the link below. And for a bonus, many of these align nicely with one or more of our Integrys Commitments.

1. They have the drive to practice a task rigorously, relentlessly, and even in the midst of failure until they succeed. Athletes are tenacious—they seldom or never give up. They also have a strong work ethic and the ability to respect and deal with the inevitable issues of temporary pain (along with the intuition to know when the cause of the pain is an issue too serious to safely ignore.)

2. Athletes achieve their goals. If one avenue is blocked, they find another path to success. If their physical strength has given out, they learn to work smarter, not harder. As they learn to become more effective they become more efficient.

3. Athletes develop new skills. Even though an athlete is highly specialized at certain skills, such as speed, blocking, or hand-eye coordination, they are also good at adapting to scenarios that call for cross-functional skills.

4. Athletes are exceptional entrepreneurs. As you consider new hires, you will likely discover that business athletes are often former (or current) entrepreneurs. Whereas people from large corporate environments may tend to be specialized in their skills and single-minded in their objectives, a business athlete is equipped to see the bigger vision of all that goes into making a company thrive. They can think strategically and are tuned in to the “big picture” and the long-term goals. They also know how to put the strategy into action.

5. Athletes strive for balance. Too much junk food and too little sleep will not contribute to a healthy company or a winning performance. Their bodies must be strong and in good condition, so athletes understand that they can’t cheat the system for long and expect positive results. A true business athlete will respect the laws of balance in energy, health, sleep, and nutrition (as well as the business corollaries) that will allow them to succeed and to do so not only in the present but for the long term as well.

6. Athletes work well with partners and in teams. Athletes know how to leverage the unique and complementary strengths of each member of their team. They know that cutting down a teammate or disrespecting a partner will only contribute to an organization’s demise. In fact, an athlete will typically put the needs of the team or a partner on equal par or even ahead of their own needs. How do you find and hire these athletes? Consider the questions you ask in interviews about outside projects, other interests, community service, the ability to focus on pet tasks, and the concepts of teamwork. And, as always, be keen to the ways you can recognize and hire for propensity instead of for current demonstrable traits. Many of my own strongest players have never previously excelled at a physical sport. They never knew they were athletes. That’s an important aspect of hiring athletes: The world’s best athletes are not necessarily discovered; they are trained.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2013/10/02/why-you-should-fill-your-company-with-athletes/

Goals

Last year this was also a topic that I touched on and because I think it is really important, I want to talk about goal setting briefly again this year. In the Interchange, there was a short article about eliminating complacency; I think that fits in really well into goal setting. As the article stated, “We can become satisfied and perform our tasks on “autopilot” expecting a familiar result while we unconsciously zip through potential hazards.” While this is focused rightly so on safety, I want to also add, “We can unconsciously zip through life.”

We want to be living on purpose and a great way to do that is to set goals for yourself. We have a finite amount of time and while we don’t know exactly how much, we can proactivity make the best of whatever time we have. There are definitely days that just making it through is enough and an accomplishment. Days like that here and there are ok. Days like that turning into weeks, months, or even years are not. So take some time to sit back and decide, what to do I want to accomplish over the next week, month, year, 10 years etc. Give some meaning to your days and allow yourself the time to start checking some of these off the list. I am not strictly talking about athletic goals like completing the Bellin Run. Maybe your goal is go back to school, get some sort of certification, a promotion, or whatever. As a parent one of the most important lessons I have learned is that there is almost never a perfect time to do something. So if you are waiting for that magic moment where it all falls into place, stop waiting and just make it happen. While now may not be the perfect time, it is the right time and once you get started with whatever you want to accomplish you will build momentum.

YOU HAVE TO DO THE HARD THINGS

I came across this list through social media and I think it is really good. Some of them you can quickly link to running or walking the Bellin, but all of them apply at one point or another throughout life. So in this week’s newsletter I wanted to share them.

• You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
• You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
• You have to give more than you get in return right away.
• You have to care more about others than they care about you.
• You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
• You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
• You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
• You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
• You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
• You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
• You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
• You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”
• You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
• You have to try, fail and try again.
• You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
• You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
• You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
• You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
• You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

To quote Jimmy Dugan from the movie League of Their Own, “It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great.”