LEADERS ISSUE 10
15 JUNE 2018
DIGEST
THE OVERCOMMITTED ORGANISATION Avoid Team Burnout
Stop, Reflect, Go! Leaders Who Disconnect: Why We Should Learn From Them Developing Support Systems For Occupational Stress: A Critical Need A Career Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint This fortnightly publication is dedicated to advancing civil service leadership and putting it into practice contemporary leadership principles.
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PUBLICATION TEAM EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Segaren Senior Editor Siti Rahanah Amat Dollah Assistant Editor Samson Tan Diana Marie Capel Graphic Designer Awang Ismail bin Awang Hambali Abdul Rani Haji Adenan
Content Partners:
CONTENTS
ISSUE 10 I 15 JUNE 2018
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06
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Stop, Reflect, Go!
Developing Support Systems For Occupational Stress: A Critical Need
Leaders Who Disconnect: Why We Should Learn From Them
Read this issue and past issues online at bit.ly/LEADSCS. Scan the QR code below for quicker access:
A Career Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
THE LEADER’S DIGEST IS A FORTNIGHTLY PUBLICATION BY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE OF SARAWAK CIVIL SERVICE FEATURING ALL THE LATEST SURROUNDING THE TOPIC OF LEADERSHIP. THE PUBLICATION ALSO FEATURES SPECIALLY SELECTED WRITE-UPS RELATED TO EACH THEME OF THE ISSUE, THROUGH ITS CONTENT PARTNERS.
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STOP, REFLECT, GO!
Leaders who pause to reflect reap benefits in a healthier work environment BY KAMINI SINGGAM
As you step into the second half of the year and prepare to embrace the development it brings, have you also put aside some time to reflect on the first half? The idea of reflection is not intended to slow us down but to give ourselves a better perspective on what we have accomplished as an individual and as an organisation. It is an especially essential practice for a leader. While reflective leadership is not new in the field of leadership development, it is yet to be the most widely practiced approach. This is mainly because, when work starts, it’s all about moving forward and keeping ourselves busy with the next project, hitting the latest performance target or catching up with unfinished business. Not many leaders would actually take the time off and get themselves – or better still, the entire organisation – to pause and look back on the execution of the last game plan and analyse the challenges, goals and results that have unfolded so far. Some might even ask why this is necessary.
According to leadership coach Carl Robinson, professionals who practise reflective leadership can more easily avoid misinterpretation, missing out on details and key aspects of learning curves, or repeating mistakes. Contrary to notions that this is an unnecessary act of reminiscing, executives who set aside some time for personal and organisational reflection may in fact return to work with insights that enable them to perform more efficiently. Reflective thinking is a contemplative state. For it to work, one typically retreats into a quiet thinking space and minimises potential distractions. This means no e-mails, messages or meetings. But, while it is ideal to take a day off and do this away from home and work, with practice, one can enter into reflective exercises almost immediately; provided, no one is encroaching on your personal space or disrupting your flow of thought.
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are looking forward to the next race or just happy to have crossed the finishing line. “Always ask if what you are doing is sustainable,” says Tan, adding that it is extremely important for leaders to start the process of reflection as soon as they see signs of burnout or low morale among employees.
Avoid naval-gazing
Reflecting as a team While personal reflection has its benefits, team reflections have even greater power. Corporate culture guru Joseph Tan opines that a reflective leader can more easily lead his or her team to spot issues and make the right moves at the right time, as well as to discuss and contemplate problems affecting specific employees or the organisation as a whole.
Let’s face it. Sometimes, in the reflection process, we often tend to get very stuck in the past. This could be a reason why some leaders perceive the process of reflection as unnecessarily time-consuming or distracting. To avoid an over-indulgence of reflective thinking, Tan suggests doing joint reflections with people you are comfortable with who can act as your sounding board. “Choose some people you trust and speak to them. This helps you gain clarity. You can also learn by just observing or listening to others speak as you contemplate,” says Tan.
This is because a reflective leader is usually more observant and empathetic, with good problem-solving skills. He or she is more likely to notice the symptoms of a disengaged employee, for example. Tan recommends reflective leadership because it not only helps increase productivity but also improves performance for the organisation. Tan cited an example of a sales company's management team he was coaching, whose sales force was experiencing a high turnover rate of 24%. Initially, they were unsure of what was causing the problem. Upon reflection, however, the management team realised that while the organisation had reasonable performance expectations, the manner in which those expectations were communicated caused their sales representatives to be disengaged. Once that root cause was identified, it was only a matter of taking the right action to set things straight. “Through reflection, leaders realise that there is such a thing as the human spirit and that our profession involves emotions, motivations and morale that can either push or drag down the working spirit,” says Tan. He adds that while there is nothing wrong in wanting employees to work hard to achieve certain goals, leaders should always ask themselves whether their employees 4
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He suggests that when filtering things down to the team, the leader should include some contemplative techniques like storytelling to engage them. At all times, remember that the order of the day when engaging employees to reflect is to demonstrate and encourage humility and courage. He believes that large, open meetings such as town hall sessions can also be turned into contemplative and reflective sessions through the art of storytelling. “Imagine starting your town hall session with a personal story – perhaps your own experiences or challenges at work – instead of projecting numbers, goals or missed targets. This will engage your employees better and they will be able to see that you are also human,” says Tan. Asking the right contemplative questions also helps to keep personal and team reflection processes focused. At all times, those involved should allocate enough time for the process to avoid rushing through any part of it.
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Reflection starter kit
WORD OF CAUTION Be careful to not design a reflection session like an evaluation exercise. Evaluations are done with performance and results in mind. Reflections, however, are supposed to serve as a deep-analysis platform. Try not to expect results or specific answers as reflections are personal. Sharing can be encouraged in an intimate setting but not forced. Silence can be a winning indication that your session is working.
Self-reflection can be customised to individual preferences. A quick search on Google for “self-reflection exercises” or “questions for leaders” will land you with a wealth of credible links offering how-to guides that you can use to spark ideas and get you started on designing your own set of questions or reflection points. Engaging your team, however, requires careful consideration and planning.
Depending on what you wish to address, include pertinent questions such as “What were the consequences faced?” “How do I feel at the moment?” “How did I upset the person/process?” “How could I have handled the situation differently?” The reflection session can then close with something positive like an action plan to move forward, or summingup activities that help boost the morale of team members. Here’s our Reflection Starter Kit to help get you started with your plans. These steps can be customised to your needs and the nature of your organisation.
There are various ways in which leaders can engage their teams to reflect and move forward together so that the team grows together without leaving anyone behind. This includes games, activities, or just a set of questions they can answer or contemplate on. As with self-reflection, team reflection sessions give each team member the opportunity to recognise and learn from strengths, weaknesses, limitations, advantages and setbacks that he or she has faced at both personal and professional levels.
In conclusion Begin with clearly defined parameters to maintain focus instead of starting the reflection session on general terms. These parameters can range from reflecting on aspects of communication and relationship-building to the outcomes of presentations and various achievements.
Leaders can design the personal reflection session to include relevant questions that will meet the goals of team reflection. If you are not sure where to start – tried and tested working models used worldwide include Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, Johns’ Model for Structured Reflection and Borton’s Developmental Framework. What these models have in common is the emphasis on identifying feelings and trigger points for setbacks or challenges faced, and a framework to develop an action plan for moving forward.
While it may be difficult to cultivate the qualities of a reflective leader in the first few sessions, it gets easier – not to forget immensely more satisfying – with practice. And this practice should start with the self. When leading reflectively, it becomes a natural practice for you. You will find yourself exercising this skill at every possible opportunity (including at meetings!) and leading others in the practice. Even failure can quickly become a stepping stone for learning and growth when a leader is reflective.
Kamini Singgam is an introverted extrovert who strives to see the rainbow at the end of the road. She finds joy in sharing ideas and stories that can impact lives for the better.
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LEADERS WHO DISCONNECT
BY ROSHAN THIRAN
Why We Should Learn From Them
All of the successful leaders I’ve met over the years have worked hard to realise their ambitions, and also to ensure they never rest on their laurels – an attitude that allows them to maintain their competitive edge in this age of continual disruption. Great leaders are always looking to expand their knowledge and develop new skills. They work on honing their emotional intelligence and social awareness; and they make sure to keep themselves in touch with the people around them, so they always have their finger on the pulse when it comes to knowing what’s working well and which areas of business need improving. The most effective leaders I’ve met possess all these qualities, and they make sure to motivate and push themselves twice as hard as anyone else. But there is one difference that separates the exceptional leaders from good leaders: they know the value and the importance of regularly taking time for themselves that doesn’t involve their work. 6
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GREAT LEADERS WHO TAKE TIME OFF TO RECHARGE Sir Richard Branson, for example, is one for taking long vacations or simply spending time relaxing at home. Explaining why taking time off is important for him, he says: “I make sure that I disconnect by leaving my smartphone at home or in the hotel room for as long as possible – days, if I can – and bring a notepad and pen with me instead. Freed from the daily stresses of my working life, I find that I am more likely to have new insights into old problems and other flashes of inspiration.” Netflix chief executive officer (CEO), Reed Hastings, has a similar attitude. Taking six weeks’ vacation every year, he explains that, “It is helpful. You often do your best thinking when you’re off hiking in some mountain or something. You get a different perspective on things.” Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer – like many business leaders – has a heavily packed schedule, often with 70 meetings scheduled in a week that take up to 10 or 11 hours a day. We might imagine such a schedule is inevitably going to result in burnout for the busy businesswoman; however, she maintains balance by taking a week-long vacation every four months. Meanwhile, former eBay CEO John Donahoe advocates making use of “thinking days” at least every few months. During this time, he squirrels himself away alone in an office, and writes ideas on a whiteboard after reflecting on what’s going on in the world and where he can make improvements to business. “I think about what I have learnt, which areas require my attention, and what changes I need to make – and remind myself not to worry about events over which I have no control.” He insists there’s “no substitute for taking a legitimate vacation”, and takes his family on annual vacation to their Cape Cod beach house, where he completely disconnects for two weeks.
MAKE TIME FOR THINGS YOU TRULY VALUE In decades gone by, there has been the attitude – of which remnants remain – that to take time off equates to being lazy, demotivated, and indifferent to one’s goals and objectives. Nothing could be further from the truth. In making sure we take quality time away from our work – however passionate we are about it – we allow our batteries to recharge, new ideas to blossom, fresh perspectives to emerge, and our emotional well-being to increase. In making time for ourselves, we return to business more creative and with an increase in our productivity. But while all the above is important to our success – and to the successes of those we lead – it’s when we don’t take time for ourselves, to spend with our friends and family to engage in some quality time, that we eventually end up with regrets that we didn’t make enough time for the things we truly value. Yes, being successful in our professional lives means we can support our families and provide a decent education for our children – no one would suggest that we should neglect such endeavours and responsibilities. However, our generosity and our support comes in many forms, and of the things we can give to our loved ones, perhaps our time and presence is the most valuable gift of all. It’s about striking a balance. The reason our time is precious is because it’s never guaranteed, which is why we should regularly use some of it to purely enjoy this gift of life that we have, and to appreciate all the things and the people that make life such a treasured privilege.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER With these examples in mind, I trust we can all take some time to reflect on the blessings we are fortunate to receive. I know at my next “Time Off” I’ll be thinking about how thankful I am for my family and friends, and my colleagues and connections who have allowed me to enjoy such a wonderful journey thus far, both professionally and personally. Behind each one of us is a great community of people who help us to thrive – they are surely one of our greatest blessings. Whatever you’re up to in the coming weeks and months, I hope that you will be able to find time for yourself and loved ones, to relax and reflect, and return to business reinvigorated, re-energised, and raring to go with an abundance of new ideas, creativity and innovations.
Roshan is CEO of the Leaderonomics Group. He believes that everyone can be a leader and make a dent in the universe, in their own special ways.
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Developing Support Systems For Occupational Stress:
A Critical Need
BY KAREN NEOH
Earning a living? How often have we heard our friends and colleagues exclaim “I am so stressed” or muttered it to ourselves? It’s not easily quantifiable, nor is it experienced in the same way. The ones who remain mum on the subject may be suppressing overwhelming levels of pressure and anxiety that can explode spectacularly. In the award-winning play by Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, set in the late 1940s, Linda speaks of her husband Willy Loman, “He works for a company 36 years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away.” When the unthinkable happens and Loman is let go from his job, he reflects,
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Funny, y’know? "After all the highways, and the trains, and the
appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive.
Life imitates art
"
Closer to home and decades later, work-related stress and overwork suicide is a very real issue. In an analysis of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Chang et al found that although economic impacts were the most severe in Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia, Japan showed the sharpest rise in suicide rate. The British Medical Journal cites potential reasons for this. With the disruption of “traditional” employment systems (with guaranteed lifetime employment), the share of precarious employment increased from 20% in 1995 to 34% in 2007.
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Even for fully employed workers – workloads became strikingly high. In 2000, 28% of regular Japanese employees worked 50+ hours per week, compared to 16%–21% in New Zealand, the United States, Australia and the UK. Statistics from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicate that there has been an increasing trend in cases of karoshi and karojisatsu in Japan. 'Karoshi' is a sociomedical term that refers to “fatalities or associated work disability due to cardiovascular attacks (such as brain strokes, myocardial infarction or acute cardiac failure) aggravated by a heavy workload and long working hours” (ILO). 'Karojisatsu' (suicide from overwork and stressful working conditions) has also been a social issue in Japan since the late 1980s. In 2012, the Japanese government compensated 813 families who were able to show a link between overwork, illness and death, including 93 suicides. More recently, The Japan Times reported that Japan’s parliament passed a law in June 2014 calling for support centres, assistance to businesses for prevention programmes, and more research on karoshi.
Spread of a non-communicable condition Cesar Chelala, MD and PhD, and public health consultant says that incidents similar to karoshi have been reported in China, South Korea and Bangladesh. In China, an estimated 600,000 people died from overwork in 2010.
Who is at risk? A growing body of evidence indicates that workers in highdemand situations who have little control of their work and low social support are at increased risk of developing and dying of cardiovascular disease. The consequences of overwork and stress are not limited to men. In the Women’s Health Study (WHS) – a landmark study involving 17,000 female health professionals – Harvard researchers found that women whose work is highly stressful have a 40% increased risk of heart disease compared with colleagues under less stress. These results were confirmed in Denmark and China.
Causes of occupational stress The ILO cites potential causes of overwork or occupational stress: • All-night, late-night or holiday work – long and excessive hours.
• Stress accumulated due to frustration of inability to achieve organisational goals set by the company. • Forced resignation, dismissal and bullying. For example, employees who have been loyal to a company for many years, are suddenly asked to resign due to staff cutbacks. • Suffering of middle management who are often in a dilemma between the corporate restructuring policy and protecting their staff from being laid off.
Impact Deaths by overwork affects not only families who may lose their main breadwinner, but also industries that are hit with lawsuits and suffer lost productivity. At the aggregate level, the national economy can also be affected.
What to do Employees: • Regular exercise reduces anxiety and depression and improves sleep. • Practise relaxation techniques. • When feeling overwhelmed by stress, seek help from a mental health professional Companies: With the recognition that placing excessive demands on employees is counterproductive, companies should provide the best work conditions. The ILO suggests to: • Reduce working hours and excessive work. • Provide adequate medical support and treatment, including access to appropriate medical facilities and counselling mechanisms. • Promote active and effective dialogue between employees and employers to design healthy and efficient work procedures and workplaces. Government: At the macro level, legislation should be passed to increase job security and skill training as well as employee participation in considering issues that directly affect them. Workers who have better control of their jobs will increase in productivity and suffer less from the stressful component of their jobs.
Bringing it all together Stress, like depression, is a word that has entered our everyday lexicon and in this short article, I hope to convey that there is a severity to the condition that should not, and cannot be dismissed. In the same breath, I hope that education and access to accurate information can remove the stigma that prevents people from seeking help and support they need. Issue 10 I June 2018
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A Career Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint BY SHAHRAN MASOOD
It was a rookie mistake. Amidst the buildup and excitement on the morning of the race day, the crowds and the ocean of eager runners waited for the start gun like a New Year’s Eve countdown. My heart skipped a beat as the gun went off. The stampede of runners charged through the start line. Supporters cheered, runners let out their war cry, and before I knew it I was already one km into a 42km foot race. The marathon had begun. I got to the 24km mark a little faster than expected. But that was ok because I felt great. Very quickly though, it all changed. After the runner’s high and euphoria settled, I began to feel light headed, and struggled to run a small hill. At that point I wasn’t sure what state I would be in at the finish line, or even if I could finish at all. I was certainly in 10
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trouble and had well and truly “hit the wall”. I started the race too quickly. I didn’t pace myself. The marathon metaphor holds true and applies to our careers and livelihood – a career is a marathon, not a sprint. Unless you can snap your fingers to conjure your dream career, it’s safe to say your career outlook should be long-term, include clear planning, and be open to adjustments from many lessons in your journey. In the past, I, like many young professionals, have made the mistake of running my career like a sprint – trying to get from point A to point B as fast as possible, unaware that this is not a sustainable way. The following is a holistic guide to making smarter career choices, so you can run the distance.
Commit to running the marathon Set your goal – “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare” – Juma Ikangaa, NYC Marathon Winner. Most people think they can’t run a marathon, so they don’t try. No one was born a marathon runner, and it doesn’t magically happen overnight (with the exception of babies born into Kenyan running camps). It takes conscious and consistent effort to make it happen, and the same applies to landing your dream job. Getting that dream job without doing a single thing, is likened to completing a marathon without doing any training. With this attitude you’re hoping for a fluke, and chances are, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you really want to make it happen, it’s time to commit to the task and get ready to sweat.
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After you’re clear on your marathon goal it might be a good idea to take stock of the situation – make an honest assessment of yourself – what level of fitness do I need to be in to complete the marathon? How fit am I now? What realistic timeframe do I need to prepare for the race of my life? What kind of training programme will get me there so that I am challenged, getting fitter, and injury free? A training plan is an integral part of getting you to the start line. You need smaller goals and tasks to work towards. If you have the good fortune of currently working in the type of company that supports your career aspirations, you’re halfway there. Even with this, you still need to apply yourself – to work hard and work smart. Know what key performance index is required of you to progress to a specific performance level. Also, what intangibles are required for you to get that promotion? Commit to the steps to bridge the gap.
Common Mistake We work so hard and for such long hours that we run out of energy. I’m sure we’ve all known that guy in the office that often stays back late, comes to work the next day looking weary, and repeats this process. Some people do this day in day out – burning a candle from both ends.
Why do we do this? Perhaps it’s the enthusiasm we have after graduating from our degrees. We want to take on the world after being equipped with “all the tools”. Perhaps when you joined the company it was the career progression path your hiring manager enticed you with, and maybe the promise of that nice bonus at the end of the year. We think the harder and longer we work, the faster that promotion and pay rise is going to come. This might be true for some, but how long can you sustain such an intense pace?
Work life balance
Finding that sweet spot between work and life can sometimes feel like a juggling act, but with some practice it can be easy. Like forming any new habit, first there is awareness, then practice until the habit becomes second nature. If we don’t embrace work-life balance, running out of energy is the least of our concerns, because it could lead to the detriment of our family and our physical and mental wellbeing. The habit of living out of balance leads to a battery that rarely gets fully
recharged, and slowly diminishes in capacity over time. In other words, burnout. Start by drawing a line between work and home. This distinction is particularly handy so you can be focused when you are delivering that project at work, and of course when you’re at home, enjoying quality time with your family. Many of us are “working” away from the office – not being able to “switch off” from tasks and deadlines, answering business calls during family meals and emailing from our smartphones at bedtime – yes, I’m guilty of this. Balancing your career with life is likened to marathon training and recovery. Both sides are equally important. The running part is what it's all about, of course, but what enables you to run is nutrition and rest. Without adequate food, sleep, and the occasional massage session, there is no way we can sustain the marathon journey. In work life balance, if you place too much emphasis on work, you become out of touch with important relationships with family and friends. Even worse, if you don’t value health, the money you have stockpiled over the years will be inevitably used to pay for medical bills. Enjoy your time off. The downtime from work will allow you to recharge your batteries and give you vigour to tackle life’s challenges, including putting enthusiasm into your work and career. Sometimes solutions to work problems come to you at unlikely moments – just like ancient Greek scholar Archimedes, who excitedly shouted “eureka!” when he discovered the physics of water volume and displacement… all while having a bath! Issue 10 I June 2018
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Corporate culture I once spoke to a headhunter that advised me against working for company ABC. He said it treats employees like “light bulbs”. “People are plugged in, worked to the bone, and then replaced when they inevitably blow.” It was what he called a purely bottom line driven company that offered excellent incentives, only concerned with high performance, and that didn’t care for excuses. In all fairness, that could be a dream job for a top performer who was hungry to make a name for himself quickly – it was just not for me, at least not at that juncture of my career. There is a strong correlation between productivity excellence and happy employees. In a recent survey conducted by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), over one third of managers commented they wanted to stop spending excessive hours in the office and spend more time with family, enjoying hobbies and fitness activities. According to CEO of ILM, Charles Elvin, “This suggests that organisations with flexible working practices to provide greater balance will find it easier to retain and attract talented staff”. What this means for a job seeker, is that it’s critical to do your research about company ABC. Do find out if employees stay long enough to grow with the company.
The tortoise and the hare In this classic tale of speed versus a consistent-slower-pace, we all learnt that just like the tortoise – “slow and steady wins the race”. I don’t believe this lesson to be completely true, especially when we transpose this lesson to running your marathon. You see, at times we need to push the pace, and other times we have to regulate our pace – go a little slower as we’re climbing hills (challenges) and enjoy the momentum as we’re riding a nice slope (good times). During your marathon you might pick a target in the distance – a person you’d like to overtake (competition), or there might be a time where you’re not concerned about your pace because you’re soaking in the splendor of the scenery and simply enjoying the moment (experience). Whatever it is, running your race is a personal quest that involves different speeds. This implies adjustment to different conditions, with enthusiasm for the challenges, and appreciation of the journey. Going back to the lesson of the tortoise, there is still value in how he ran his race. Even if you’re progressing slowly in your career, keep going, just like the tortoise. As you continue running, you create your own opportunities, and sometimes opportunities present themselves when you’re “not forcing it”. Maintain a steady and consistent pace without being overconfident, and set your gaze steadily in front of you. Don’t worry about the annoying hare or how much faster others are moving. Remember, you are running your own race.
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Hitting the wall Ask any runner and they will tell you, “hitting the wall” can be one of the most uncomfortable and demoralising experiences. It inevitably happens in the second half of a marathon. It’s when your “systems” tell you to quit. You feel drained of energy, your legs become heavy, and your brain is telling you “you’ve done pretty well to get this far, it’s ok to quit now.” This internal voice is encouraging you to accept mediocrity – to settle for less. You can shift your distracted mind, control your breathing and regroup your focus. The moment will pass and you will soon continue to run your marathon. Just keep going. In your career, you might hit the wall after a period of burnout, or perhaps if you have not respected the marathon distance and treated it like a sprint. It could be a combination of reasons why your career has hit a rough patch – the economy is not in a good state, your employer might be going through a period of transition, or you have simply lost your drive. Whatever it is, this is a good time to breathe and get some perspective. You should consider – am I responsible for this wall? Can I move around it? Or simply, does this wall actually exist? (The Matrix movie type of question). Moving forward, literally moving forward. is the sure fire way to move through this uncomfortable period. Become aligned with your career goal, and reach forward by placing one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you will gain momentum and move to the next phase called “second wind”. As life happens and as you aspire to experience more, you will inevitably
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be confronted by more walls. With experience and maturity there are ways to manage hitting the wall, sometimes even avoiding it altogether. The following will make the wall less significant: 1. Don’t go out too fast – conserve your energy and pace yourself. Know when to speed up and when to slow down. 2. Understand that good things take some time to materialise – choose to make things happen, but also understand that experience, maturity, and depth go hand in hand. 3. There is no substitute for putting in the training hours to develop your craft – shortcuts provide short term benefit, therefore lasting benefit comes from working with integrity. 4. Work hard and work smart – stick to your development plan, and find ways to efficiently get work done. 5. Consistent training and progressive overload over time, will give you the best chance of success – keep working towards your career goal, and you will certainly grow with your challenges and experience.
In the zone In sports psychology, being in the zone refers to a state of being where there is effortless movement towards achievement, or simply a pleasurable state of centeredness. It’s a sense of control, where skills and performance are matched perfectly. This trance – like state is sometimes referred to as “flow”. In the book titled Flow: The psychology of optimal experience, author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi proposes that humans are fulfilled and happiest when they are in this state.
He says “The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” This concept can be applied to all areas of your life, including your career and your marathon. Picture this. It’s moments in your day, your job, your career when you seamlessly move through tasks, managing hurdles, enjoying conversations, creating, and collaborating with others in a flowing manner. When you’re in the zone in your marathon, there is a single track of efficient decision making, your effort is matched with the task appropriately and you’re adjusting your pace with ease.
The finish line Let’s go back to my marathon story. The good news is, I did run the distance, albeit grinding my way through every painful kilometer until the finish line. It was a great feeling to finish, to get the result, but it was not the way I wanted to do it. The lesson in this is to plan effectively, monitor your performance, and above all, enjoy the experience. The days of grinding it out are gone. Determination and digging deep should not be the default spirit of “running your marathon”, in your career. We don’t have to leave much to circumstance. There are many ways to be prepared. Run your marathon, happily. Be disciplined, stick to your plan, and yes – enjoy the journey, otherwise what’s the point? Marathons are about endurance and pacing yourself is critical to your success.
“Leadership is not a sprint, it is a marathon relay. The most important part is not running, it is passing the baton.” - Myles Munroe
Shahran Masood was part of Leaderonomics’ talent acceleration team.
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- Inspirational Quotes -
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MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN 1 Syawal 1439H / 15 June 2018
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