As an endurance athlete (triathlon) competing on a national level my objective at this time of the year is on expanding my aerobic engine. That is the capacity of my body to operate for long periods of time at a fairly high heart rate (135-145) without experiencing the build-up of lactic acid in my muscles. To do this, I go for long runs and bike rides with the focus to keep my heart rate at about 137-140 with an occasional spike to 150 being acceptable, as long as it's a short period of time. This type of training builds aerobic capacity and will provide a strong base upon which to build endurance during the next phase of training to begin in mid December. I'm also working on overall physical strength and core strength during gym workouts. The foundation is being set for the third phase of training later on, early next year where I will focus on sport specific performance, speed and competition.
How does this apply to business?
There are dozens of books on training and base building and something called periodization, where you divide up your training effort into periods of specific training, each with specific goals.
The same thing can be done in business and this is the focus of much of my work and the work of the entire Molloy team. We have broken down what business is, into core linguistic moves which can be practiced and learned over time. Then we break down the core moves into two areas of design, Sales / Customer Service and Management / Leadership.
The objective of course is to win... which means to sell more, generate more profits, operate more effectively and grow the business.
We also say that the foundation necessary to win the game in business is commitment.
More specifically, since commerce is only generated when two people exchange commitments than becoming a 'commitment based organization' is the first move. Adopting the Language Of Commitment as an operational philosophy is the starting point. Teaching your sales and customer service people to become commitment machines can be likened to building an aerobic base. Once your entire sales and customer service team has been 'conditioned' than you can get into sport specific training as you get ready for the real competition.
And what's that you might ask?
You engage in real competition when you write checks for advertising and marketing designed to grow the buisness. And you take the money out of your bank account... from profits that you've already generated... money that you've saved... and you pray that your investment... your advertising gamble is going to work.
When I show up on the starting line in a race, I'm either going for the win (in my age group) or I'm going to start the race with the hope that I can hang on and simply finish.
I can tell you from experience that going for the win is much more satisfying and more fun. It also means that I've done my homework and have a strong foundation in place.
What's it going to be for your business?
When you go to write the big check for the new on-line marketing program, are you confident that your team will be able to get you across the finish line in first place? Or are you living in the domain of hope?
I hate to have this blog sound like a sell piece, but I'm going to make the offer, because I'm committed to my clients. Call me! We can help you build a strong base upon which to grow your business. You do the work and the base will be there... guaranteed. Your people will be ready when you write the check. It's a promise.
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