By: Kenneth F. Petersen, CPCU – CEO Encharter Insurance
At Encharter Insurance, our goal is to achieve Best Practices, peak performance in all that we do. We want to grow, offer world class service, and deliver solid financial results. To do this it takes a team effort and several lessons I learned on the road, Marathon training. Here are those five lessons from the road:
#1 – It all starts with a belief that you can do it! Although I am slightly out of shape, I know that running in a Marathon and finishing is possible. I know of plenty of people my age that have trained, gotten in shape and finished a marathon. Therefore, finishing a Marathon for me is possible – it is simply a matter of whether or not I want to put in the time and effort. For me to say otherwise is “Head Trash”.
Likewise, growing an insurance agency, double digits in a down economy, is possible. Others have done it and are doing it. Therefore, it is simply a matter of whether I want to put in the time and effort.
#2 – It takes heart, grit and determination to make it through the tough times. I have had plenty of “difficult” training runs on my way to finishing a marathon. Days when the rain is coming in sideways, the legs hurt and there is a stitch in my side.
Similarly there are days, when as the leader of a company, the horizon appears bleak, your people are getting you down, and you are just plain tired. It takes a similar grit and determination to make it through those tough times.
#3 – It is all about small incremental improvement. When I first set out on the road, a mile or two seemed like a long run. However, day by day, a mile turned into two miles, into three miles and now into 10 -13+. It didn’t happen all in one day. If I had tried to do the full 26.2 miles all in the first week, I would have crashed and burned.
Same in business – To take an organization from current performance to “Best in Class” performance, it cannot happen overnight. Continuous Improvement movement, day after day is what is needed to move the organization where it needs to go. Small, incremental improvement, delivered day in and day out.
#4 You are going to have set backs. As I looked to make incremental improvement, I found that there are simply days, and weeks where you cannot accomplish what you have previously done. In fact, cycling from high performance weeks, into lower performance weeks, actually set you up to reach your next milestone. Thus, after a week where you achieve a personal record long run – say 16 miles. You need to take the next week and run short. Setting yourself up to achieve 18 miles the week after.
Just like in business, your team cannot run at peak performance constantly. They need time to recover from a peak, celebrate the accomplishment, and prepare for the next peak. You need to be willing to give your organization a little down time. Generally, as the leader, you will have greater drive to move your organization forward. You need to be aware of this drive (it is what has made you successful and at the same time can be your Achilles heal)
#5 You have to know who you are running for and constantly remind yourself of your goal. Training is a long and arduous process. When you are out on the road training, there is no one there to remind you why you started. No one to push you to go on. No one to hold you to account. Only you know whether you made your training goal and you ran 10 miles or 12. Therefore, you need to know who you are running for and always remind yourself of the end goal - That feeling of accomplishment when you have finished the race and run well. You need to remember that few people have the grit and determination to run 26.2 miles.
Likewise in business, you must always remember your goal and keep focused on what you want to accomplish and who you are doing it for. You will often find yourself out all alone on a “long training run” with no one to cheer you along. You need to have focus, determination and resolve to push forward. Only then can you feel the reward of a job well done and accomplishing what few others have done. Delivering a world class organization.
