Setting the pace
I was at lunch today speaking with a fellow runner who we just placed in a new role. As we got to talking about family and kids, we chatted about the fact that we all are reluctant to really learn the importance of "pace" - it is a critical thing. When you run more than just a few miles, you have to start slow, a very counterintuitive process especially when you are in a field with a few thousand runners. The first few runs I did I distinctly remember that I was moving at a great clip for the first 2/3 of the run and then suddenly hit a brick wall that slowed me down to a degree that I was very ill-prepared for, and which made me feel ill quite honestly. I hadn’t had enough conversations with folks about pace, felt extraordinarily confident in my abilities and took off as if the adrenaline would get me there – oops!
Running in a race, like anything else in life, is only worthwhile when you have a goal in mind (beating your personal record, beating the 4 hour mark, getting your heart rate to stay in a specific zone, etc.), without a deliberate and concrete vision of getting from start to “finish”, your goal will remain just that, a goal!
In order to finish strong, you have to know what the finish looks like and then execute to that plan. People who say they merely want to finish almost ALWAYS have a time or pace in mind that they want the end result to look like.
Obviously there are many aspects that are as important as pace, but it struck me that as businesses are thinking about their own hiring trends and growth plans that it plays one of the most critical roles. If you know where you are headed, the hiring process should seemingly be much easier than if you don’t. When we experienced what we experienced in 1999 with the hiring craze, companies, for the most part, moved way too fast and were left with people who weren’t doing anything. Today, there is a hesitation to hire and people aren’t getting the critical work that needs to be done, done.
Once the plan is in place – execute to that plan. Hire where you have the most critical functions and make sure you have those strategic people in place before you try to bite off too much. What we witnessed in the past doesn’t have to happen again, but we also don’t want to stifle our own growth and potential by slowing our pace down too much.
Most runners will attest to the fact that they count the number of people who pass them – as long as you pass more than pass you, you have had a successful run. Same is true in business – keep pace or get outrun!